ABSTRACT MEASURING THE PERSONAL IMPACT OF A SEMINARY'S SPIRITUAL FORMATION

ABSTRACT

MEASURING THE PERSONAL IMPACT OF A SEMINARY’S

SPIRITUAL FORMATION CURRICULUM

by

Brian D. Babcock

The limited purpose of this project was the evaluation of the impact of the

Personal and Spiritual Formation curriculum at Northeastern Seminary. A three-part

assessment was done in a cross-sectional design with students being tested at four

different points of enrollment and after graduation. Participants completed a researcher-

designed self-evaluation of their spiritual growth, a modified version of the Spiritual Life

Inventory, and a taped semi-structured interview.

The study demonstrated that the seminary’s integration of personal and spiritual

formation curriculum into the seminary’s program is having a positive, personal, and

statistically significant impact on the lives and ministries of its students and graduates.

DISSERTATION APPROVAL

This is to certify that the dissertation the dissertation entitled

MEASURING THE PERSONAL IMPACT OF A SEMINARY’S SPIRITUAL

FORMATION CURRICULUM

presented by

Brian D. Babcock

Has been accepted toward fulfillment

of the requirement for the

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at

Asbury Theological Seminary

____________________________________ ________________________ Internal Reader Date ____________________________________ ________________________ Director, Doctor of Ministry Program Date ____________________________________ ________________________ Vice President for Educational Development; Date Mentor

MEASURING THE PERSONAL IMPACT OF A SEMINARY’S

SPIRITUAL FORMATION CURRICULUM

A Dissertation

Presented to the Faculty of

Asbury Theological Seminary

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Ministry

by

Brian D. Babcock

December 2002

© 2002

Brian Douglas Babcock

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii

Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................x

Chapter

1. Understanding the Problem..................................................................................1

Introduction........................................................................................................1

The Problem.......................................................................................................1

The Purpose .......................................................................................................9

Research Questions..........................................................................................10

Research Question #1 ..........................................................................10



Definition of Terms..........................................................................................10

Spiritual Formation ..............................................................................11

Clergy Burnout/Dropout ......................................................................16

Endurance in Ministry..........................................................................17

Cohort ..................................................................................................18

Core......................................................................................................19

Methodology and Instrumentation...................................................................19

Subjects ............................................................................................................20

Variables ..........................................................................................................20

Delimitations and Generalizability ..................................................................22

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Theological Reflection.....................................................................................23

Context of the Study ........................................................................................25

Scheduling............................................................................................29 Spiritual Leadership .............................................................................29 Assessment...........................................................................................30 Second and Third Year Curriculum Issues ..........................................31 The Faith-Sharing Model.....................................................................32 Community Worship............................................................................33

2. Review of Selected Literature...........................................................................36

Persistence, Attrition, and Satisfaction in the Professional Ministry...............36

The State of Spiritual Formation in Theological Training...............................48

Spiritual Formation and the Doctrine of the Trinity ........................................59

Measurements of Spiritual Formation .............................................................71

Summary ..........................................................................................................73

3. Design of the Study............................................................................................75

Research Questions..........................................................................................76

Research Question #1 ......................................................................................76



Population ........................................................................................................78

Sample..............................................................................................................78

Methodology....................................................................................................79

Instrument Development..................................................................................80

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Data Collection ...............................................................................................86

Variables ..........................................................................................................95

Reliability and Validity....................................................................................96

4. Findings of the Study ........................................................................................99

Characteristics of the Participants....................................................................99

Prior Seminary .....................................................................................99

Educational Background......................................................................99 NES Degree Program.........................................................................100 Gender................................................................................................100 Age.....................................................................................................100 Ministry Position................................................................................101 Ministry Experience...........................................................................101

Spiritual Formation Profile of Entering NES Students..................................102

Baseline Profile..................................................................................102

Semi-Structured Interview—Entering Students ................................112

Entering NES Students’ Personal and Spiritual Formation Profile—A Summary .........................................................................114

Changes in the Student PSF Profile across the Seminary’s Curriculum .......115

Correlation of Selected Individual Questions within Subscales and NES Place ..........................................................................................122

Specific Locations of Significant Change in the Students’ PSF Profiles across NES Place..................................................................128

The Impact of Additional Independent Variables of Mean Score Changes..............................................................................................130

Other Points of Significant Correlation among Dependent Variables ............................................................................................131

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What Aspects of the Spiritual Formation Curriculum Can Be Correlated to These Changes? ...........................................................131

Additional Sources of Data Considered in this Study ...................................138

A Summary of Major Findings ......................................................................138

5. Summary and Conclusions .............................................................................141

Introduction....................................................................................................141

Broad-based Changes in the PSF Student Profile..........................................143

The Students’ Relationship with God............................................................145

The Students’ Sense of Call to Christian Ministry ........................................150

NES Students and the Classical Spiritual Disciplines ...................................152

Courage and Confidence in Taking a Stand ..................................................156

Observations on Where the Significant Change Is Occurring .......................157

What Influenced the Students’ Personal and Spiritual Growth? ...................160

Surprise Findings ...........................................................................................163

Strengths of the Study Method Employed .....................................................166

Considerations for Further Investigation .......................................................166

Generalizability of the Study .........................................................................168

Observations and Recommendations to NES ................................................169

Appendixes

A. NES Personal and Spiritual Formation Objectives .........................................172

B. PSF 511-514—Introduction to Personal and Spiritual Formation..................174 C. Personal and Spiritual Formation M. Div. Curriculum Design.......................175 D. NES Faith-Sharing Groups .............................................................................176

vi

E. The Core Curriculum.......................................................................................177 F. PSF Program Assumptions .............................................................................179 G. Defining PSF Objectives: Solicitation Letter..................................................181

H. Cover Letter for 2nd and 3rd Year Students ...................................................183 I. Spiritual Growth Inventory...............................................................................184 J. Spiritual Life Inventory ....................................................................................190 K. Semi-Structured, Open-Ended Interview Questions.......................................192 L. Interview Coding Guide for Current Students.................................................194 M. Coding Guide for NES Graduates ..................................................................195 N. Coding Instruction Guide for Semi-Structured Interview Questions 1-8:

Graduates .......................................................................................................196

O. Northeastern Seminary Fall Report 2001........................................................197

P. Graduating Student Commencement Questionnaire (Summary) ....................199

Q. NES Graduating Student Questionnaire .........................................................203

R. Personal Interview Sign-up Sheets [Sample] ..................................................208

S. Correlations of Dependent Variables...............................................................209

T. Permission Letter.............................................................................................211

Works Cited .....................................................................................................................212

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TABLES

Table ..............................................................................................................................Page

2.1 Changes in the Context and Content of Theological Education in America...................................................................................................54

2.2 Kingdom Attributes .......................................................................................67 2.3 Pargament Versus Maslach and Leiter ..........................................................72

3.1 Varimax Factor Analysis for the SGI Showing the Four Subscales..............81 3.2 Varimax Factor Analysis for Spiritual Disciplines Instrument......................82 3.3 Factor Analysis Showing Partial List of Spiritual Life Subscales.................86 3.4 Test Sample Size for Each Tested Group ......................................................91 3.5 Internal Reliability of Subscale Questions.....................................................98 4.1 Entering Baseline Mean Scores on the SGI ...............................................102 4.2 Entering Student Scores on Selected Individual SGI Questions .................103 4.3 Entering Demographic Baseline Scores on the SGI ....................................104 4.4 Entering Scores on the Spiritual Disciplines Inventory (SGI).....................106 4.5 Demographic Breakdown of Entering Scores on the Spiritual Discipline

Scales (SGI) .............................................................................................107 4.6 Entering Scores on the SLI Scales and Selected SLI Questions..................109 4.7 Entering Students’ Scores on Semi-Structured Interview ...........................113 4.8 Correlation of NES Place with SGI Subscales ............................................117 4.9 Growth in the SGI Subscale Scores across NES Place................................117 4.10 Correlation of Spiritual Disciplines Scales with NES Place .....................119 4.11 Growth Levels in the Spiritual Discipline Scales (SGI) ............................119 4.12 Growth in Individual Spiritual Discipline Scores across NES Place.........120

viii

4.13 Correlation of NES Place with SLI Subscales...........................................121 4.14 Changes in Spiritual Life Subscale Scores across NES Place ...................121 4.15 SGI Individual Items Correlations with NES Place...................................123 4.16 Correlation of Spiritual Discipline Inventory Individual Items with NES

Place.........................................................................................................124 4.17 Spiritual Life Inventory Individual Item Correlation with NES Place ......125 4.18 Correlation of NES Place with Current Student Interviews ......................126 4.19 Changes in Student Interview Scores across NES Place ...........................127 4.20 Points at Which Significant Growth Occurred across NES Place .............129 4.21 Correlation of NES Place with Demographic Variables............................130 4.22 Correlation of NES Place with Current Students’ View of the Impact of

NES..........................................................................................................132 4.23 The Influence of NES on Self-Reported Growth (Current Student

Interviews) ...............................................................................................133 4.24 Personal and Spiritual Formation Measures of Graduates (Graduate

Interviews) .............................................................................................. 134 4.25 Influences on Growth across NES Place (Current Student Interviews) ....135 4.26 Correlation of NES Place with Influences on Growth (Current Student

Interviews) ...............................................................................................135 4.27 Strength of Intervening Variables on Spiritual Growth Prior to Seminary

(Rank Order) ............................................................................................136 4.28 Strength of Intervening Variables on Spiritual Growth in the Second and

Third Years of NES (Rank Order) ...........................................................137 4.29 Graduate Students’ Evaluation of NES Program Impact on Their Life and

Ministry (Rank Order) .............................................................................137

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This document and the research that went into it would not have been possible

without the prayers, encouragement, labors and patience of many individuals over the

past 6½ years.

In the beginning were Daryl Smith and Donald Joy who encouraged me to follow

through on my inclination to pursue this ministry path rather than returning to an

administrative Ph.D. program after fours years of wandering in the wilderness of

indecision. NES’ Vice President and Dean Wayne McCown not only provided me with

personal support but provided time, financial support, and an immediate application for

my studies within my position at Northeastern Seminary. A considerable word of thanks

must go to Dr. Leslie Andrews who provided guidance and words of encouragement

during prolonged and persistent delays caused by the demands of being the assistant dean

of a brand new seminary.

Along the way, the encouragement and inspiration of the D.Min. faculty have

been appreciated, especially the questions and counsel of Stephen L. Martyn, Anthony

Headley, and Jerry L. Mercer at significant junctures. Daryl Smith and Mitch Pierce,

accountability partners, kept a monthly check on my progress or lack thereof during

much of this journey and challenged me to continue. Bill Jenkins and David Burleson

added their prayer support from the great state of Texas. During the race to the finish, I

have been blessed with critically needed statistical help from Rod Bassett, Jeff Altman,

and especially Barbara Rose of the Roberts Wesleyan College faculty. Paul Livermore

provided some apt biblical and theological advice during the final editing process.

The Personal and Spiritual Formation Committee at NES chaired by Douglas

x

Cullum provided the context and structure within which I developed and carried out this

study. Tim Boyd, Fred Coisman, Nelson Grimm, Krista Naylor, Suzanne Pearson, and

Sandra Rogers have been the servant leaders through whom God shaped the innovative

PSF curriculum.

The NES students and graduates during these first four years have been a constant

inspiration to me as I observed their commitment to Christ, their personal and spiritual

growth and their willingness to trust this grand experiment in graduate theological

education.

A special award must go to Barbara Touchstone who listened to and transcribed

over eighty hours of taped interviews and provided editorial assistance on earlier drafts of

this document. The extra mile recognition award goes to colleagues Tracy Johnson, Patti

Radel, Pam Hasen and Stephanie Richards for keeping the office running the last summer

as I hung out in the library, poured over data, and drafted Chapters 4 and 5.

In the end, I thank the Lord for my wife and partner for thirty-four years. Carol

gave up countless days, nights, and weekends including time away from our

grandchildren and preparation for her own teaching responsibilities to endure my

emotional roller coaster ride while she worked through the final organization and

mountain of editorial changes required to bring closure to this document.

xi

Babcock 1

CHAPTER 1

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM

Introduction

“Look to your left and right. In five years, only one of you will still be in

ministry.” Such were the words of Dr. David McKenna as he addressed the Seniors’

Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary in May 1993.

McKenna’s sobering commentary raises questions about the causes of the dropout

problem in seminaries. A seminary committed to the preparation of men and women for

Christian ministry would desire to structure its curriculum and programs in such a way as

to promote longevity and satisfaction in that ministry.

The paper that follows is a research project based on one seminary’s attempt to

better spiritually prepare its students for ministry in the belief that personal spiritual

health can be a major factor in reversing the startling statistic for ministerial burnout,

dissatisfaction, and moral failure. Ministerial burnout/dropout rates after seminary

graduation and the ambiguity, or absence of attention to spiritual formation during

seminary preparation form the backdrop for this study of seminary curriculum.

The Problem

Stress, frustration, moral failure, and general spiritual decline appear to be

familiar companions of the Christian pastor as the Church enters the twenty-first century.

Surveys, professional studies, and individual commentary support McKenna’s somewhat

bleak prophecy. Some statistics cite that upwards of 40 percent of religious leaders

eventually drop out of ministry while 75 percent report going through stress great enough

to cause them to consider quitting (Dirmann 1). In psychologist Richard Blackmon’s

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opinion,

Pastors are the single most occupationally frustrated group in America.… The profession is often characterized as more stress-ridden than a doctor dealing with a terminal illness, since the doctor can walk away from the situation when he leaves the room. The pastor however, unlike other professionals, normally has emotional links and personal ties to those being helped and suffers with them. (qtd. in Dirmann 1)

M. Craig Barnes describes his experience of the pastoral ministry as being “like a

vacuum that sucks me into being a manager” rather than the shepherd God called him to

be (21). He compares the day-to-day controversies that often occupy 90 percent of a

pastor’s time to “being nibbled to death by a duck. People on both sides become upset at

you,” he states, “particularly if you transcend the issue and talk about something

spiritual” (21-22).

Rediger provides us another firsthand illustration of the impact and manifestations

of stress in the ministry. Drawing from his own pastoral counseling practice, he tells the

story of Cal, who during their third meeting in a restaurant shared his story of self-

destructive behaviors in a call for help.

As soon as I sat down he poured out a story of growing awareness that in spite of his professional achievements, his personal life was deteriorating in serious ways. He was overeating to compensate for anxious guilt feelings, drinking more alcohol to assuage his suspicions about rumors in the congregation, and becoming so busy with church work that he could no longer prepare appropriately for his sermons and classes. (Fit 2)

From that point Cal drifted into sexual fantasies and other activities that nearly destroyed

his career before he sought help.

Surveys returned from pastors across denominational lines reveal that 22 percent

report a deterioration in their spiritual life, while many others are not even aware of their

spiritual unfitness for ministry (Rediger, Fit 118). Other surveys show that as many as

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“one-fourth of clergy have been or are engaged in sexual malfeasance or feel vulnerable

to it” (21). Part of the danger or risk is found in the assumption that because clergy are

clergy they are spiritually fit. Arguing against the misconception, Rediger reminds us that

“some physicians do not observe good health practices in their personal lives; some

lawyers lose a healthy legal-ethical perspective; some carpenters do not keep their homes

in good repair. And some clergy are not fit spiritually” (118).

Eugene Peterson adds yet another perspective when he warns of the danger of

losing one’s spiritual focus in the pastorate:

The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeepers’ concerns—how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street. Some of them are very good shopkeepers. They attract a lot of customers, pull in great sums of money, and develop splendid reputations. Yet it is still shop keeping; religious shopping, to be sure, but shopping all the same. The marketing strategies of the fast food franchises occupy the waking minds of these entrepreneurs, while asleep they dream of the kinds of success that will get the attention of journalists.… The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God. It is this responsibility that is being abandoned in spades. (Working the Angles 2)

In the midst of these disturbing reports, a survey of pastors conducted by John

Piper in Leadership Journal noted an encouraging shift back to a spiritual explanation of

issues facing the church and world. He reports a move away from the psychological and

management theories that have captured and dominated church ministry for more than a

generation. Piper writes,

I see an increasing disillusionment with psychological and management theory with the local church.… Now we’re in the nineties, and the whole world seems to be caving in on us; it’s not working: therapy isn’t fixing people and management isn’t making powerful churches even if it might be making a few big ones.… Whatever its form, more pastors seem to be aware of spiritual warfare today. (34-35)

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Charles Denison provides a summary of the problem and a platform to move on to

the purpose of this project. As he reflects on three significant spiritual events that

changed his life and ministry, he reminds pastors of the central importance of spiritual

formation. In an autobiographical article, he remembers the chain of events that brought

him to the decision to change.

I had been in ministry for several years. The work was going well enough: our church was growing, our people were happy. I was doing what I was supposed to do. But I was haunted: Is this all there is? Whispers kept coming over the margins of my life: a feeling of running on empty, a remembered vision of why I entered ministry, frustration with piles of administrative work. I was searching for something more than a new seminar, something deeper than technique.… I needed a new raison d’être.… Before improving on the “How” questions, I needed to answer the “Why” of ministry. (104)

Denison found what he was seeking in a return to the practice of several basic

spiritual disciplines—spiritual reading, cultivating a soul friend relationship, and

journaling. Like many others, he found that the basic spiritual issues at the heart and soul

of Christian ministry are much more significant and effectual than learning new

techniques in the performance of ministry.

Amid these documented professional observations, I find affirmation for my

personal conviction that seminaries need to do more than prepare a student’s mind for the

parish ministry. Today’s church leaders need preparation in the care and nurture of their

own souls and in the management of their personal and family lives while engaged in the

demands of parish ministry. Hands and Fehr rightly observe that

both clergy and laity are called to a wider concern than their own personal health and well-being. They are called to bear witness to the power and love of God by working for justice, peace, and the total well-being of all humankind.… To be faithful to this divine summons will require the energies and the deepest spirituality we can find.… It is no secret … [however] that clergy today are in various ways, “in trouble.” (xix)

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Three separate studies funded from 1986 to 1994 concluded that seminaries and

other institutions training pastors for Christian ministries were not providing appropriate

spiritual formation instruction (M. J. Murdock; Oswald, Crossing the Boundary; F.

Freeman). As is documented in Chapter 2, the issue of spiritual formation in theological

training has been debated and researched by the Association of Theological Schools for

more than four decades. Smith, Banks, and Farley support the ongoing debate to include

personal and spiritual formation within the seminaries’ now fragmented curriculum. Less

than 40 percent of seminarians surveyed in 1992 felt that seminary had helped them grow

spiritually (Banks 200). Banks quotes an older mature student as saying, “My time in

seminary was, spiritually speaking, the driest time of my life” (200). While more

attention has been given the subject since the mid-1980s, “society and seminaries almost

exclusively reward the achievements of the head and either ignore or presume the

accomplishments of the heart” (Hands and Fehr 7).

Wood tackled the onerous task of examining the concern for spiritual formation in

theological education and points out the differences not only between opponents but also

among those who agree it has a place.

There is also the question of the compatibility between the enterprise of forming a person in a faith and the enterprise of teaching them to reflect critically upon that faith. Does the task of spiritual formation have any legitimate place in a theological school? Those who work or study in schools with a strong seminary “identity,” where formation is seen as the principal task, might regard this as an odd question. In any event they would have far less difficulty giving an affirmative answer to it than would many schools where the primary pedagogical mission is seen as that of equipping students to engage in theological reflection in its various aspects. In neither case, however, is the answer as simple as it may have seemed 20 or more years ago given the transformations those years have wrought both within the school and in the culture of which they are a part. Further, among those who grant that spiritual formation may have a

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legitimate place in theological education, few are inclined to think that there is anything at all simple about the answer to the next question: What sort of place does it have? What is its role? (550)

As I reflect on my own experience in the parish ministry, I do not attribute my

survival of tough times to head knowledge (as valuable as that was). I credit the good

standing I managed to enjoy to my ability to call upon, reflect on, and utilize the spiritual

resources of prayer and faith. In fact, my failure to exercise these spiritual disciplines of

prayer, meditation, fasting, solitude, and the like more often than not resulted in my

failures in areas in which I was otherwise well equipped.

I can recall numerous times when I availed myself of the opportunity and

encouragement to go to leadership conferences and church growth workshops. At no time

do I recall attending anything close to what might be called a spiritual formation

conference. In my connectional system, while importance was placed on a pastor's

spiritual life, little was offered in terms of personal and spiritual formation and direction.

Intentional or not, the focus was all too often on gaining new skills. A relationship to the

source of power was assumed by most—assumed a person had it and assumed he or she

knew how to maintain and grow it.

I empathize with Barnes’ feeling of being sucked into the role of manager (20)—

managing church finances, building projects, personnel, Sunday school, youth and

outreach programs, and conference responsibilities. The allure and expectation of these

roles are strong. The need for skills in all these areas is real, but the power of the Church

has never been found in these alone or in these primarily. The God of Scriptures boldly

proclaims that spiritual victory comes “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit”

(Zech. 4:6). The Church moves forward, lives are changed, and empires and dominions

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fall by working with, in, and through God’s Spirit. I find a basic study of the meaning of

Zechariah’s terminology revealing. “Might” and “power” could as easily be translated:

strength, abilities, efficiency, wealth, endurance, sheer force (Harris, Archer, and Waltke

437). How often do those in the pastorate find themselves relying (albeit unintentionally)

on their personal gifts and abilities, the force of a charismatic personality, or the latest

management/planning theory to achieve “growth”?

Those in spiritual leadership are too easily sidetracked into a sense of pseudo

success or failure unless they are skilled in the disciplines that open them to God’s grace

and power. The Apostle Paul considered his pedigree and academic degrees nothing

compared to the importance of knowing Christ “and the power of his resurrection, and

the fellowship of his suffering, and being conformed to his death” (Phil. 3:10). Leaders

are not to see in this a denigrating of academic training but rather a priority on one’s

relationship to the One who is all knowing and wise as well as on a proper balance in life.

Clearly, God’s transforming, sustaining, and empowering spirit is more important

than to simply be an expert in communicating another’s experience. Thus, “what could be

more important to ministers-in-training [lay or ordained], than to have encountered God

repeatedly in direct and partially describable ways, together with studying about other

people’s description of the divine?” (F. Freeman 81). The subtle danger of dividing

knowledge and experience and living a split personality in carrying out Christian ministry

is documented in Hands and Fehr’s study of church leaders:

Ministers can live for years on the level of “objective,” church mediated faith (what “we” believe), without reflecting much on their personal history with God, without any heartfelt personal love involvement with God.… What is missing … is a deeply lived love relationship to the One about whom this person speaks. (54-55)

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Senior and Weber’s 1994 study provided two somewhat self-serving yet basic

reasons for spiritual formation curriculum. They note,

Even church-related theology schools can no longer count on new students being already formed within a particular religious tradition or culture. The dislocation of traditional family life and the decline in church participation among many young people results in many students having little or no sense of the history, customs, and ethos of the religious community, … [and] because many candidates for ministry are older students they bring with them the potential for increased maturity as well as a complex web of personal experiences and the freight of more psychological baggage.… [These stem from] broken families, experimentation with drugs, alcohol and sexuality, and living in a materialistic, competitive, and highly individualistic culture. (26)

The assumption of the past, that students entering seminary had some common

spiritual base, informed by the Church and nurtured by a predominantly Christian culture,

is no longer defensible.

One final factor impacting the issues of persistence and satisfaction in ministry is

a cultural shift in the value and authority once assigned to institutions and titles. Davey

brings some historical perspective to the stress levels we find in the ministry today by

reminding us of the erosion that has taken place in the minister’s role over the latter part

of the twentieth century. Government and numerous volunteer secular agencies have

taken over many roles once part of a pastor’s and the church’s identity and oversight

(16). As Generation Xers decide for themselves what is and is not of value, churches and

church leaders are no longer automatically afforded places of authority and power. This

status must now be earned in what has been called the democratization of every arena of

twenty-first century American life (McNeal 82-83). The expectation that church

members, or society in general, will afford pastors a level of prestige or respect based on

their titles alone or that the pastors’ counsel will be sought and valued can no longer be

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taken for granted. Christian leaders must be able to find their sense of worth and

accomplishment in places outside of societal and cultural arenas.

The Purpose

The more limited purposes of this project were the evaluation of the impact of the

Personal and Spiritual Formation (PSF) curriculum at Northeastern Seminary (NES) as

defined by its fifteen objectives. The long-term purpose of this project was to determine

whether a spiritual formation program designed for seminarians, based on behaviors,

dispositions, and life patterns (disciplines), could lead to increased stability and

satisfaction in ministry. Thus, the study attempted to measure these behaviors,

dispositions, and life patterns (disciplines) in such a way that they carried the potential of

predictive validity. Beyond the limited goals of this project was the desire to measure the

ongoing impact of this program on the lives and ministries of Northeastern’s graduates.

This study began with an assumption that the stronger students’ spiritual lives and

disciplines, the less likely they will drop out of ministry because of issues of stress or

moral failure. Stating this positively, the stronger students’ spiritual lives and disciplines,

the greater satisfaction and longevity they will experience in ministry.

As detailed later in this chapter, NES has invested heavily in the development of

an innovative and integrative Personal and Spiritual Formation curriculum. Students are

exposed to and involved in a variety of classic models of Christian spiritual disciplines

throughout its curriculum. In order to strengthen the integrity of the NES program and its

goals, NES must be able to assess the outcomes of the program in the lives of its students

and their ministry. Data collected from the instruments used in this project will be used in

the future to evaluate and enhance the PSF curriculum and its delivery. The faculty has

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identified fifteen essential spiritual objectives around which the curriculum is designed.

These objectives form the central focus of the assessment to be attempted in this project.

Research Questions

To determine the impact of the Seminary’s personal and spiritual formation

program, the instruments used provided data to answer three basic questions.

Research Question #1

What is the spiritual formation profile of entering students at NES?


What changes are observed in the PSF students’ profile as they progress through

the seminary’s curriculum?


What aspects of the Spiritual Formation curriculum, if any, can be correlated to

these changes?

Definition of Terms

Before proceeding with further discussion, I now define terminology as I used it

within the context of this dissertation. Where differences in interpretation are likely to

occur, let the reader use the following explanations to provide insight into my perspective

on the issue.

Spiritual Formation

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While spiritual formation is being recognized and debated in theological circles

today, it is not a universally clearly understood term. For some, the term corresponds to

conversion or sanctification. For others, it relates to moral or character aspects of one’s

being. Yet others consider it to simply involve skills needed for ministry. For potential

differences and difficulties in understanding the term, Senior and Weber help articulate

some similarities:

Spiritual formation is not synonymous with the ability to think and evaluate theologically, as essential as such activity is. It includes not only the way we think, but the kind of persons we are. Different Christian traditions will express it differently, but at its core, spiritual formation means something like growing in grace, becoming more like Jesus, learning to live a holy life, increasing our love for God and service to others, or practicing the Christian virtues. (24)

To understand spiritual formation in the context of this study, I begin with an

understanding and definition of Christian spirituality. While some would argue that such

a term is redundant, the evidence presses us for a definition.

Grace warns that spirituality can be an evasive term more often defined or shaped

by the professional field studying it. He supports his observation by noting that

the behaviorist … [sees spirituality as] an abiding belief that a positive change is achievable.… The psychotherapist … [may see it as] an altered state of consciousness that is experienced rather than learned; known rather than believed; lived rather than expounded. It is an attitude rather than a practice; it encourages individuality and a loving acceptance of life, self and others.… An ethicist … [may see it as] concern with that which is valued and how it is valued.… A philosopher … [may see it as] a life principle that pervades a person’s entire being. (1-2)

I begin by agreeing with Hinson that Christian spirituality is not just “the shaping

of a compartment of your life but the rounding out of the personality, the whole self, in

Jesus Christ” (15). Christian spirituality is a process by which believers are “formed by,

and in, Christ—a Christ-ening” (Leech 5). Leech saw spiritual formation as a process of

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transformation involving confrontation, exploration, and struggle with the goal of

maturity in Christ (5).

Collins differentiates this definition from those found in the popular culture. He

names three categories (Naturalistic, Monistic, and Theistic) for classifying spiritualities

in the present day (“What Is Spirituality?” 87-89). Only in the third category does he

begin to make clear the essence of Christian spirituality. In all three categories

spirituality is considered to be a transcendent subject—a super-sensibility—that

motivates people to reach beyond themselves. Only within theistic spirituality is this

“other” sensibility seen as a personal God. The development and exercise of one’s

spirituality in our current culture need not involve any concept of a deity and certainly

not a personal deity as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Today’s brands of

spirituality are more likely those “molded to suit a narcissistic culture” (Leech 8). They

are a spirituality of

self-cultivation, of personal enlightenment, of heightened awareness.… [They are] often more akin to classical Gnosticism, with its concern for self knowledge and illumination, than the biblical tradition, with its stress on salvation and sanctification of a people. (8)

Collins also identifies a critical dimension of spirituality that needs to be included

in our definition—transcendence. The spirituality of this level is much more than a

striving for value or morality. This spirituality reaches well beyond personal limits “to

partake of the rich life of a transcendent God” (Soul Care 42). Thus the definition, first

and foremost, is one that includes developing and maintaining a relationship to the

personal, transcendent God who has been manifest in the life, death, and resurrection of

Jesus of Nazareth.

The definition is next advanced by a study of the roots of the word spirituality,

Babcock 13

revealing a word of Christian origins in all probability coined by the Apostle Paul—

pneumatikos. The value of this term for the study is found in its use by Paul and the early

Church to refer to persons led by the Holy Spirit, in contrast to “carnal” persons not led

by the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10-16, 15:44; Col. 1:9; 1 Pet. 2:5). “Christians, all Christians, are

called to be pneumatikoi, spiritual persons” (Leech 11). The point I draw from this study

is that the early Church did not split the person into material and non-material entities as

occurs in Greek philosophies and later Christian theological studies. For Paul and the

early Church, the spiritual person was one—body, mind, soul, and spirit—led by the

Holy Spirit. Spirituality involved all that a person was in relationship to his or her

creator. This creator had been revealed through the prophets of the Old Testament and

then completely in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. I find no artificial separation of head

and heart or objective and subjective spirituality as found under Scholasticism’s

influence on Christian thought. Nor does the scholar find a definition of spirituality that

makes it the limited experience of a special few—monks, martyrs, or “clergy.” This

spirituality, this ability and gift of being indwelt and led by the Holy Spirit was the

privilege of the laos—all the people of God.

A further aspect of this definition is found in the creation story. In Genesis 1 and

2, ADAM, God’s icon—one made in the image of God—appears. This one created as the

icon of God is created as a relational being. ADAM was to find identity and value in

relationship with God, to others of like kind, and to all of creation. In this created

relationship between God and Adam, human life is wholistic, undivided, and at harmony

with itself and all that it touches. I will say more about this in Chapter 2 when discussing

the Trinity. All that Adam experienced as “life” was involved in and formed by a

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relationship with God.

Finally, I examine the roots of the term formation. Understanding the first word is

important to view the distinctively classic Christian understanding used in this study for

spiritual formation. Understanding the second term is critical to understanding the true

manifestation of the growth and change NES seeks to nurture. A study of the root

meaning of formation leads quickly to the Greek word morphe and its several expressions

in Greek culture, in the mystery cults and finally in the New Testament. Kittel, Brown,

Gangel and Wilhoit demonstrate a meaning here that contrasts with the spirituality

(righteousness) of the Jewish Pharisees whom Christ called “whitewashed tombs” (Matt.

23:27). The idea expressed in Matthew 23 is a righteousness, a God-likeness that is no

more than skin deep at best, or a mere covering at worst. It is a spirituality with a right

object (Yahweh-God) but one that has not changed the person’s action or heart (being,

essence). In contrast, Paul uses morphe and its derivatives, morphothe (Gal. 4:19),

symmorphos (Phil. 3:21), and metamorphousthe (Rom. 12:2), in ways that convey a

change from the inside out.

Colin Brown tells us that the formation, the change spoken of in these passages, is

a change in essential character (705). The change is more than in outward appearance, as

might be seen in one putting on new clothes or makeup. Here the person has been re-

formed from within. In Galatians 4 Paul gives us the vivid picture of conception and birth

to demonstrate the Christian life as being one into which Christ is born and develops in

his or her being. Romans 12 documents the classic clash of kingdoms, each seeking to

shape the persona of the child of God. Paul commands believers not to allow the world to

press them into its mold, its form, its way of living and thinking, but rather to allow God

Babcock 15

to transform (metamorphous) them with a whole new outlook on life and being. That

change is more than a new thought or the turning over of a new leaf, but a radical change

in the view of self, life, and God.

The difference can be seen again in Paul’s letter to Timothy (2 Tim. 3:5) when he

speaks of those who have the form or appearance (morphosin eusebeas) of

righteousness/piety but deny its power. Here is a righteousness/spirituality that only

looks like the real thing but does not flow from a transformed heart.

Thus, spiritual formation is a process of becoming more like Christ. Leech pulls

together a number of New Testament images (i.e., babes in Christ, growth, being built

together, growth toward a fuller understanding of the mysteries of Christ) to make the

point that biblical spirituality is not static but a movement from “one degree of glory to

another” (2 Cor. 3:18; Leech 9-12). It is a “dynamic process; it cannot be frozen, and it

offers no final utopia, no feeling of having arrived” (B. Johnson 52). Finally, Carolyn

Headley defines spiritual formation as

the growth in Christian faith, character and practice that develops as Christ is formed in us (Gal. 4:19). This growth is evident in every area of a believer’s life. Formation is a process of learning, changing and growing into Christian maturity and the likeness of Christ. It is the work of God, through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. It results from being alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:1-14), growing in understanding and experience of encounter with God, and deepening of our relationship with him. (3)

The spiritual formation I measured and NES seeks to nurture cannot be easily

discerned simply by observing outward actions. Certain definable actions, dispositions,

and patterns of life will manifest the spiritual formation defined here, but I recognize that

these can, for a time, be “acted out” with no inner reality behind them. Whatever spiritual

formation may or may not encompass for some, for this study it includes the following:

Babcock 16

• A relationship with the transcendent God revealed through the Old Testament

prophets and in the person of Jesus of Nazareth;

• An understanding that every aspect of self-identity as human beings is

involved in and touched by that relationship with no compartmentalizing of the self; and,

• An ongoing journey, a process of transformation into the likeness of Christ

that takes place within the very being of every disciple of Jesus Christ.

Clergy Burnout/Dropout

Clergy burnout or dropout at first appeared to be the easiest of the terms to define

for this project. I have used these terms in a very broad sense. Webster’s definition

includes “to fail, wear out, or become exhausted by making excessive demands on

energy, strength, or resources” (Burnout 153). Borrowing from the usage current in 1982,

Sanford crafted this rather literal definition:

If we apply the dictionary definition of burnout to human beings, we must imagine a man or woman who has been devoured from within by fiery energy until, like a gutted house, nothing is left. Or we may imagine a person who once carried a current of psychic energy but now like a burned out electrical conductor, cannot supply power anymore. Or an individual who, like a burned out forest, feels that her power to renew herself has been destroyed. (4)

The terms encompass all the meanings popularized in the 1980s in workplace

studies. Perry helps the student here when he speaks of it referring to “negative work-

related attitudes and behaviors” (26). Maslach and Leiter broaden our understanding of

the term when they describe it as “an index of the dislocation between what people are

and what they have to do. It represents an erosion in values, dignity, spirit, and will—an

erosion of the human soul” (16-17). The literature adds that burnout has three basic

dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness (18). Seen in this light, burnout is

Babcock 17

much more than mere fatigue. Here the exhaustion is defined as a feeling of being

overextended where one does not recover by just getting a good night’s rest. In fact a

good night’s sleep is often hard to find in burnout conditions. The dimension of cynicism

is manifested in people distancing themselves from their jobs and the people associated

with their jobs. As such, cynicism is seen as having both a defensive (self-protecting)

dimension and a destructive (making matters worse) dimension. The final dimension is a

manifestation of what Maslach and Leiter describe as the downward spiral of burnout

where people gradually lose a sense of adequacy to do anything at all (17).

I have chosen to include under the umbrella of this definition and use of these

terms those who exit the parish ministry because of moral and ethical failure as well.

Though additional factors are often involved in moral and ethical failure, still these are

men and women who once had a dream and call to ministry and now find themselves on

the outside looking in. NES’ assumption that those who have a healthy, growing spiritual

life will be less likely to experience burnout is extended to these individuals as well.

Those growing in their intimacy with God will presumably be less likely to fail morally

and ethically and thus drop out or be driven from the ministry.

Endurance in Ministry

Endurance in ministry is more difficult to adequately define in its entirety. Here I

mean not only the ability to “persevere,” as the old term was used, but more. A. Headley

speaks of seeking a “satisfying balance in ministry”—a balance that “prevents burnout

and confusion” (13). He states, “Intimacy with Christ is absolutely essential for ministry

just like oxygen is necessary for physical life. This close connection with God is a

pressing necessity for finding fulfillment in ministry” (15).

Babcock 18

Lewis speaks of those who “live for others but always in a discontented,

grumbling way—always wondering why others do not notice it more and always making

a martyr of themselves” (167). This is a life he describes lived out of obedience to

conscience (natural self) rather than obedience and surrender to Christ. In such a state a

person becomes “angrier and angrier, hampered and worried at every turn” in life (167). I

believe that description aptly fits all too many in the ministry today that see themselves

yielded to Christ but running spiritually on empty and thus are frustrated, empty, and

angry.

The NES assumptions include the idea that pastosr will not only persevere in

parish ministry but that they will experience a sense of contentment and satisfaction in

doing so. I am making the assumption that if pastors’ spiritual lives are being nurtured,

they are more likely to be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have learned to be content

with whatever I have” (Phil. 4: 11). In addition, with Paul, they will be more likely to

experience a deep sense of joy in the Lord that transcends the most undesirable of

circumstances.

Cohort

Webster defines a “cohort” as “a group of individuals having a statistical factor

(as age or class membership) in common in a demographic study;… [a] companion,

colleague” (223). For NES’ purposes, a cohort is a group of twenty to twenty-six

students. This group begins the NES Core of study together and remains together

throughout the first year (fourteen months) of study. Each group is a mix of men and

women, pastors and lay leaders, master of divinity and master of arts majors, with an

average age of forty.

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Core

The Core is the first year of studies for both Master of Arts (MA) and Master of

Divinity (MDiv) students at NES. It consists of five courses, including four nine-credit

courses. All full-time students begin their degree work as a cohort in the Core. Upon

successful completion of the Core, students earn thirty-eight credits (see Appendix E).

Methodology and Instrumentation

This study was an evaluative study in the descriptive mode. The goal of this

project was a self-reported evaluation of the impact of the NES program as defined in the

fifteen PSF objectives. The study employed a researcher-constructed, self-assessment

instrument and a structured, open-ended interview with questions based on the above-

mentioned objectives. A Likert-scale response format was utilized to solicit students’

self-reported evaluation of their sense of growth in each of the objectives. To provide a

standardized point of comparison, the Spiritual Life Inventory (SLI) was modified and

employed. The SLI is a thirty-five item questionnaire that uses a Likert scale to assess the

following six subscales: Prayer, Forgiveness, Attribution, Call/Vocation, Support, and

Devotion. Originally developed by Dr. Leslie Andrews, it was used on a group of career

missionaries. The five items specifically dealing with one’s call to career missionary

service was adjusted to refer to full-time Christian ministry in general.

Utilizing these instruments and other student-generated data, the study sought to

evaluate the impact of the spiritual formation program at Northeastern Seminary on the

spiritual life and ministry of its students. The triangulation of research instruments and

other student input increased the validity of this project. The instruments were

administered to NES students at five junctures across the curriculum. As time permitted,

Babcock 20

additional data collected through autobiographical material, assessment feedback from

faith-sharing groups and exit interviews was used to assist in evaluating data collected

from the instrument.

Instrument subscales were employed while collecting the data that enabled me to

measure the curriculum’s impact on subgroups with the student body-based categories

such as gender, degree, age, education level, and ministry position.

Subjects

The subjects were full-time students from the first eight Cohorts enrolled at NES.

This involved approximately ninety students, plus twenty-five graduates by December

2001. The observable characteristics of these groups are as follows:

• Average age 40 (age spread 25-61);

• First and second career men and women in Christian ministry;

• 37 percent already ordained and/or pastoring churches;

• 75 percent male, 25 percent female;

• Persons of color representing approximately 25 percent; and,

• Twenty-two different denominational affiliations.

Variables

A number of intervening or nuisance variables influenced the outcomes of any

data collected by the assessment instruments. These were kept in mind as the project

proceeded, and consideration was given them in the interpretation of outcomes. Among

these intervening or nuisance variables was the subjective nature of spiritual and personal

formation. In addition, the ongoing life experiences of each student had to be considered

when presuming to correlate the NES personal and spiritual formation curriculum to

Babcock 21

personal growth change. During the interviews, students were given the opportunity to

evaluate the impact of several factors on their spiritual growth (i.e., friends, family,

church).

Consideration of the different ages brings with it the impact of life experiences

before seminary. NES students range in age from mid-twenties to mid-sixties. Older

students had many more influences on their growth and maturity than those right out of

college. Thus, spiritual formation was influenced by students’ experiences and their

responses to those experiences over twenty-five to sixty years prior to enrolling at NES.

Outside mentoring and other ministry opportunities experienced by students during the

NES years effected their personal and spiritual development.

An additional nuisance variable is the reality of each student’s busy/full schedule.

While NES faculty along with its student body desire to see spiritual formation take more

of a central focus during seminary preparation, spiritual formation requires priority time

and disciplined attention. NES is a nontraditional, nonresident seminary. Ninety-nine

percent of the current student body typically juggle multiple commitments including

church, job, and family responsibilities along with seminary studies. This crowded

calendar continues to play itself out on the students’ and on the institution’s desire to

nurture personal and spiritual formation during seminary.

One independent variable to consider was the semi-controlled nature of students

in the Core (first year) curriculum. While at no time during students’ seminary careers

are they free from intervening influences on formation, during the Core variables are at

their lowest level due to the cohort structure of the program. It is the most controlled time

frame for measurement in the NES curriculum. During the Core, students are part of a

Babcock 22

cohort numbering approximately twenty to twenty-six, which meets weekly for four

hours over a fourteen-month period (forty-nine weeks). Students are required to meet

biweekly in smaller (six to eight members) faith-sharing groups (FSG) during this time.

After the Core, students in their second and third year meet in more traditional, self-

selected classes and are involved in FSGs during their field education course work. NES

anticipates that measurement across the Core will provide them with the best measure of

curriculum impact. Saying that, I recognize that even here students have not been free of

other influences in their spiritual development.

Size also had an impact on the immediate effectiveness of the measurement. The

initial number of full-time students limited the generalizability of the findings. With time

and greater numbers, NES will be able to determine if initial results are repeatable as well

as begin to look at the longitudinal impact of its program after graduation.

Delimitations and Generalizability

The outcomes of the assessment tools were limited by the criteria used in their

construction. The subjectiveness of the area of study was a significant delimiting factor.

No generally recognized single definition of what constitutes spiritual formation can be

found. While a growing number of instruments are designed to measure aspects of

spiritual and personal growth, particularly in the health professions, none could be found

that specifically measured all the NES objectives. Therefore, NES’ ability to use its

findings in any predictive and generalized manner were limited by the ability of its

fifteen objectives to define the nature of personal and spiritual formation and the ability

of the instrument to adequately measure these. To claim success at this would still only

be a first step in gaining agreement in the broader Church and secular community as to

Babcock 23

the meaning of spiritual formation.

For the purposes of this study, the data collected was limited to the self-reported

evaluations of students pursuing a theological education at NES in preparation for

Christian lay or ordained ministry. In turn this data was evaluated to form some

preliminary observations about the impact of NES’ PSF program.

To the extent that the NES student body compares demographically with other

seminaries, some broader assumptions may be made. As already noted, the initial size of

the student body was a limiting factor in generalizing the final observations. The

continued use of the instrument designed here across a broader group of students will

enable NES to continue to refine and enhance its ability to assess and perhaps predict

results.

Theological Reflection

The need for attention to spiritual formation in the preparation of lay and ordained

church leaders finds its support in Scripture, church tradition, and personal experience.

“Much of the early church had as its primary concern the way that life might be lived in

responsibility to God, i.e., usually ethical issues took priority and the primary theological

issues were those related to ethical issues” (A. Freeman 173). Although Scripture does

not stipulate a detailed structure or system for the preparation of church leadership,

examples abound of the need for leaders whose personal and spiritual lives meet a

divinely ordained standard. Models can be found in the Old and New Testaments for the

training of godly leaders, models that speak to or imply the importance of personal and

spiritual formation over and against other qualifications. At the root of all these examples

is a basic expectation of a relationship of obedience to and faith in God that in turn

Babcock 24

reflects itself in relationship with others. Outward actions are seen as indications or fruit

of what is present or absent within the heart of an individual. I am, therefore, encouraged

by Peterson’s proposition that seminaries need to see themselves as “a spiritual

community which develops theological skills” (Subversive Spirituality 248). Who the

person is in Christ is as important as what he or she knows about Christ.

The models in the Old and New Testaments are human models, relational models,

for individuals today. In the beginning, Adam was created with the imprint of the Triune

God. Deep within the spiritual DNA of Adam was the essence and reflection of

humanity’s creator. Thus, the basis for understanding Adam’s descendents must begin

with an understanding of the Triune God, who formed and breathed life into that earthen

vessel. Spiritual formation is important not because spirituality is the latest fad as the

human race enters the twenty-first century but because the descendents of Adam bear the

spiritual imprint of God. The children of that first couple created in Eden are indeed

children of God and, unlike any other created thing or being, they are spiritual creations

at their core. Adam was much more than a mere physical and rational being. Knowing

about the Creator can never replace knowing the Creator. The often-quoted conclusion is

still true. A God-shaped vacuum is within the heart of every man and woman ever born,

and they will be restless until they find him.

For the purposes of this study and as the backdrop to the formation and

understanding of NES’ spiritual formation program, I have focused on the Christian

understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrinal application is developed

further in Chapter 2. Scholars can find within the understanding of the mystery of this

triune deity the foundation blocks for the assumptions and objectives of NES’s program

Babcock 25

and curriculum.

Context of the Study

The context in which this research is centered is the personal and spiritual

formation (PSF) curriculum at Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, New York.

Northeastern Seminary was chartered in 1998 as a theological institution, separate from

but closely aligned with Roberts Wesleyan College (RWC). Since 1992, Roberts

Wesleyan College has launched three accredited and successful masters level degree

programs prior to NES. NES offers the Master of Arts in theological studies and the

Master of Divinity degree. Along with RWC, it offers several cooperative degree

programs, including a Master of Social Work option. NES is accredited with both the

New York State Board of Regents and Middle States Association of Colleges and

Schools and is an associate member of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).

ATS professional accreditation is anticipated in June 2003.

Roberts Wesleyan, originally Chili Seminary, was founded in 1866 by Benjamin

Titus Roberts, an evangelical Methodist minister and first General Superintendent of the

Free Methodist Church. Its Christian heritage can be traced through the Thirty-Nine

Articles of the Church of England, the Augsburg Confession of the Protestant

Reformation, and the great historic creeds of the early Church, such as the Apostles

Creed, back to the Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus Christ. This heritage informs the

mission of NES and forms its foundation as a graduate school of theology (Affirming 5).

The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women for Christian ministry,

both lay and ordained. Rooted in classical Christian faith, the seminary creatively seeks

to equip its students for ministries relevant to contemporary culture.

Babcock 26

NES offers a nontraditional approach to theological education initially targeting

individuals who are already involved in ministry or in full-time secular employment. All

required curricula are offered in a one-night-a-week format. Students are involved in

classroom instruction from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. one night a week. In addition, they

must do approximately twenty-four hours of outside research and preparation per class

session. Each program begins with a forty-nine-week Core curriculum consisting of four

courses of nine credits each and a two-credit PSF component that is integrated into each

of these courses (see Appendix E). Entry groups (cohorts) are restricted to twenty-four to

twenty-six students each, twice each year.

From inception the fundamental objectives of NES have included the spiritual as

well as the academic preparation of candidates for pastoral and lay ministry in Christ’s

Church. Now in its fifth year of operation, Northeastern is still in process. While the PSF

curriculum is already in place (see Appendixes A-D), it is under constant review and

oversight of a standing faculty committee.

As a member of the Personal and Spiritual Formation Committee, I have been

associated with the development of this curriculum and its guiding philosophical and

theological framework since the spring of 1998. Early in the process, the seminary

faculty posed a list of seminal questions, the answers to which formed the outline, goals,

and content of Northeastern’s PSF curriculum. Included but not limited to these have

been the following:

• What constitutes Christian spiritual formation in this, or any, Church age?

• What are the critical components of spiritual formation needed in the

formation of lay and ordained church leadership?

Babcock 27

• How can these components be incorporated in the seminary’s curriculum so as

to provide the maximum opportunity for them to connect, take root, and bear fruit in the

lives and ministries of NES’ graduates?

• What, if any, models of spiritual formation curriculum are being practiced in

sister institutions?

• What will constitute success in this endeavor?

• How is the effectiveness of this curriculum to be measured?

With a long Methodist tradition of concern for the whole person, the Personal and

Spiritual Committee took on the task of developing the program and its curriculum.

Relying heavily upon Forster Freeman’s work, the committee developed a set of

operating assumptions around which to design NES’ curriculum in general and the PSF

curriculum in particular. These were presented to the faculty in the format given here and

adopted.

It is God’s desire to be in intimate relationship with each of God’s children.… The basis for all Christian life and ministry is the lived experience of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; a nurtured and continuing experience of direct communication with God is of major importance for those who engage in Christian ministry.… There are spiritual practices that help a person notice and respond to God’s overtures for relationship. These include, but are not limited to, contemplative prayer, meditation on Scripture, worship, sacraments, fasting, retreat, interpersonal relationships, and guided reflection on everyday living.… Healthy spiritual formation does not automatically occur in the context of a seminary education. The seminary that takes responsibility for providing appropriate structures for its students’ spiritual development meets their needs more completely and does a better job of accomplishing its own goal of preparing people for Christian ministry.… Healthy spiritual formation best occurs in the context of Christian community. (Personal Spiritual 1)

From these basic assumptions a set of objectives (see Appendix A) was

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developed. These have undergone a series of revisions and reformatting as the committee

has sought ways and means of assessing the outcomes of the program. Next to be

developed was a curriculum strategy to ensure that PSF was an integral part of each

seminarian’s complete degree program. Though not limited to this list, the objectives

were implemented in the following concrete ways (see Appendix B):

• A spiritual retreat at the entry point of each new cohort;

• Assignment of each seminarian to a faith-sharing group (FSG) that meets

every other week during the Core curriculum (see Appendix D). Each group is assigned a

trained non-faculty spiritual facilitator who mentors a group of 6-8 students;

• Text books and Scripture study focused on personal and spiritual

development during each evening’s course of study;

• Monthly chapel programming;

• A written Personal Growth Contract;

• Two required courses spanning the second year of study covering spiritual

and pastoral formation; and,

• Faith-sharing small group experiences incorporated into the field education

curriculum during the second and third year of study.

The task of proposing to “teach and model” spiritual formation is not without its

challenges. While NES has been encouraged and in some cases amazed at what has

already transpired, it continues to wrestle with significant issues. The program is, as

Edwards remarks about the Shalem Institute, one that is evolving and learning through

experience (Spiritual Friend 202). I have noted here a number of issues that continue to

demand significant attention and prayer as the curriculum evolves. Some of these are

Babcock 29

unique to NES’ program. Some are not. I have not attempted to prioritize them but

simply to report and briefly reflect on each.

Scheduling

A nontraditional program with a nonresident student body poses many unique

scheduling and programming issues. Fifty percent and more of the current student body

commute from distances ranging from one to five hours in travel time. Scheduling

participation in a faith-sharing group for ninety minutes every other week poses a number

of logistical challenges. Because of travel times and personal time commitments, most of

these groups now meet prior to their four-hour class session each week. While that solved

the problem of multiple travel times, it makes for a long evening of intense spiritual and

academic work.

Spiritual Leadership

The leadership to which I refer here involves the faith-sharing groups (FSG) and

advising roles. From the start the PSF Committee decided that the leadership of the faith-

sharing groups would not involve the faculty. Trained, nonfaculty members were

recruited from area churches. Because of the extensive training commitment and time

involved across the year, a small honorarium is provided these spiritual facilitators.

Training is provided in-house and through the assistance of a Roman Catholic center

skilled in spiritual directing.

When a student enters NES, he or she takes a number of assessment inventories.

Among these are the MMPI, the Myers-Briggs, and the Association of Theological

Schools Profiles. From these, and in consultation with trained professionals, each student

develops an Intentional Growth Plan (IGP). The task of overseeing the development and

Babcock 30

follow-up of the IGPs was initially assigned to the faculty adviser. Time, training, and

confidentiality issues arose that resulted in a PSF committee reassigning this

responsibility. Sheldrake raises similar issues of separation in calling for clear boundaries

between academic advising and the intimacy required for spiritual direction (366). Barry

and Connolly note that the task of the spiritual facilitator is found in fostering discovery

rather than in teaching doctrine. “Teaching, preaching, and moral guidance are not the

proper task of spiritual directors” (43). In light of NES’ experience, these observations

took on new meaning. They do, however, raise the additional issues of time, expense, and

personnel.

Assessment

Assessment has been focused in two areas—grading policies and outcomes

measurement. Finding the right balance between liberty and law has been easy and richly

rewarding with the seminary’s first four groups of students. These students have

enthusiastically applied themselves to the text and the task. Their personal testimonies

have indicated that the initial program is right on target in terms of encouraging spiritual

growth.

However, every student coming through the curriculum will not necessarily do

the same. As numbers have grown, the seminary has had to face the issue of attendance

in the FSGs. The challenge faced is to build enough “teeth” in the program to maintain its

academic as well as its spiritual integrity as a masters level experience without distorting

the freedom needed in doing spiritual business.

Outcome assessment is a major task continuously before the PSF committee of

the seminary. The focus of this project was to develop an instrument that would give

Babcock 31

NES data to assess whether or not it is achieving its objectives. A review of Hill and

Hood’s book identified some 126 religious measurement tools. None adequately assessed

the spiritual and personal characteristics of the NES program.

Second and Third Year Curriculum Issues

As seen in Appendix C, students spend their first year in a thirty-eight credit,

forty-nine-week Core curriculum. They do so in a cohort of twenty to twenty-six

students, which is broken down into three faith-sharing groups of six to eight students. In

the second and third years of study, the curriculum is offered on a more traditional term

basis with students choosing courses from required and elective offerings. The cohorts

are no longer maintained. While all courses are offered on Monday nights, students are

no longer with the same group in year two and three. The committee’s task, therefore,

was to find a means of maintaining the PSF thread through these years of study. For

master of divinity students, this was accomplished in several ways. First, they are

required to take two three-credit PSF courses in this time frame. One is entitled Pastoral

Formation, the other Spiritual Formation. In addition, students in field education (four

three-credit units required) spend time every other session in modified faith session

groups. The master of arts students posed a larger challenge. These students have only

fourteen credits of electives to complete after the Core and are not required to take the

formation courses. Beginning with Cohort 3, these students are required to do one unit of

Field Education. In doing so they, too, have had a continuation of the FSG experience

through their last term at NES.

The Faith-Sharing Model

The PSF Committee chose the faith-sharing model of small group formation with

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its emphasis on listening and facilitating. As seen in Edwards and Barry and Connolly,

this model provides for a trained facilitator to assist one student at a time in listening to

himself or herself and to God. No attempt is made to “fix” or short-circuit problems or

issues as they come along. In addition, no interaction or dialogue with other members of

the group is permitted. The chapters in the textbook Soul Feast provide a gentle guide for

different arenas to be explored during each meeting (Thompson). The role of the faith-

sharing facilitators is viewed as

help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequence of the relationship. (Barry and Connolly 8)

As numbers have increased, so has the call to modify this model to allow more

group interaction. Many, if not most, students come to seminary with some experience in

small group ministry where a more open support and accountability model is employed.

The PSF Committee’s challenge has been to continue to find constructive ways of

articulating the purposes and advantages of the faith-sharing model for the school setting.

The emphasis on developing listening skills, the freedom offered to share without the

need to defend or justify one’s comments, the opportunity to work at one’s own pace on

the issues that the Spirit is raising in a person’s life, and the atmosphere fostered that

keeps it free of individual theological debate bode well for its continued employment.

The model the committee chose is not only one that meets the need for

ministering to Christians of diverse theological backgrounds, but more so is one that can,

if allowed, enable the individual to “collaborate with grace” (Kidd 13). In doing so, a

person will hopefully discover the ways and means through which God is moving to

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mold and shape him or her into the image of Christ. The model offers the student the gifts

of listening and deep spiritual reflection. In these gifts we find what Eugene Peterson

articulates as the ability to “become aware of what God is doing so that [we] can respond

to it, participate, and take delight in it” (qtd. in Clapp 25).

NES has discovered that this model demands a level of patience and a depth of

trust in the Holy Spirit for which most are not adequately prepared. Patience is required

to allow students to work out their salvation at their own pace. Leaders are typically more

skilled at jumping in and doing God’s and the other person’s spiritual work for them.

Community Worship

Recognized as the heart of Christians’ sense of well-being, community worship

remains a logistical challenge for the nontraditional, one-night-a-week program of NES.

Each cohort begins the Core with an all-day, spiritual retreat where the students are

introduced to the faith-sharing model. Once a month during the Core, students gather for

chapel midway through the evening. To allow the entire student body along with faculty

and staff to worship together, an all-seminary retreat is scheduled once a year. These are

scheduled as a Friday night-Saturday event and include three worship/workshop

opportunities focused on a three-year rotating theme and personal time. To encourage

attendance, student fees cover the cost of these retreats. Beginning in 2001, alumni were

invited to return to this community time free of charge. Other worship and seminar events

are scheduled throughout the year. Students are invited but not required to attend.

The PSF Committee is increasingly sensitive to the need of ministry to student

spouses. They have not yet found a model that makes this logistically or monetarily

feasible.

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NES’ desire is to proactively provide opportunities that will enable students to

hear, in a clearer way than ever before, God’s kingdom call. This call is a call

• to a relationship, not to a task;

• to a life of Sabbath rest, not of constant anxiety and turmoil;

• to wholeness, not fragmentation; and,

• to a daily communion with God that transcends, mends, and empowers all the

rest of what they will learn and experience in seminary and in their ministry to follow.

Therefore, through prayer and design, NES intentionally seeks to allow the Holy

Spirit the opportunity to connect learning with faith, text with life. “Christian spiritual

formation is a matter of becoming the song we sing, the story we tell. We ourselves are to

become the living texts of Christianity” (S. Johnson 103). Furthermore, “ministry must

never be separated from spiritual formation” (Ortberg 110). Drawing on Acts 6:3-5, NES

would argue that spiritual leadership can be best exercised by Spirit-filled men and

women. Other qualifications for spiritual leadership may be needed; this one is

foundational.

As NES implemented its curriculum for spiritual formation, it did so with the

realization that at best it can only offer a model and an opportunity. The student is

ultimately the person responsible “to respond to divine grace” (Smith 88). A designer can

more easily identify needs than formulate solutions or articulate ideals than attempt to

program spiritual growth. During these first four years, many students report a refreshing

renewal taking place in their devotional life with Christ and in the relationship with their

spouses who have joined them in the journey. NES remains convinced that spiritual

formation belongs at the heart of the seminary’s curriculum. The administrators also

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suspect that spiritual deformation can and does take place in seminary training when

formation is not emphasized. The school’s approach, therefore, is to be proactive and

intentional rather than to assume that spiritual and character development will take care

of themselves as the academic training unfolds (84).

In conclusion, I am drawn to a statement from Hands and Fehr’s study of pastors

and the pastorate. “What God originally ‘intends’ for us is not our addictiveness or

compulsivity, not our personality disorders and defects, but the achievement of

intimacy—with self, with others, and with God” (2). I would alter the last part to read

“and most significantly with God himself.” We find in this intimate relationship with

God the gifts, graces, resources, and motivation to overcome that which would burn us

out or lure us into ministry-destroying sin.

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE

The literature review will address several problem areas identifiable within the

professional ministry concerning persistence, attrition, and satisfaction in ministry. These

issues are shown to stem from or relate to personal spiritual issues within the pastor’s life

and ministry. Those institutions charged with the mission of preparing men and women

for professional ministry must address these issues, as this study purports to do.

In this chapter I have addressed four specific areas related to this study: (1)

ministerial persistence and attrition; (2) the state of spiritual formation in theological

training; (3) the doctrine of the Trinity as it relates to spiritual formation; and, (4) related

research on religious/spiritual coping. In the first section of this chapter, I give an

overview of the volume of literature that has developed over the past twenty years around

issues such as clergy burnout, clergy attrition, and clergy satisfaction in ministry.

Following this material, I review literature dealing with current and past practices within

theological educational circles that address the issues of personal and spiritual

preparation for Christian ministry. In the third section I attempt to develop a theological

base, within the Christian understanding of God as Trinity, for the study of and

instruction in spiritual formation in the theological academy. In the final section, I review

research from the health community that seems to support the NES assumption of a

correlation between the spiritual health/strength and a person’s ability to cope with stress

in ministry.

Persistence, Attrition, and Satisfaction in the Professional Ministry

As demonstrated in Chapter 1, the Christian ministry is not immune to high levels

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of stress, clergy burnout, or moral failure. “Broken-down, burned-out, and cast-off

former pastors sit on the sidelines in our churches, sell real estate for a livelihood, and

serve as guidance counselors in the public schools” (McKenna, “Recycling Pastors” 25).

While a growing abundance of material may be found on burnout in the ministry,

a wealth of research has also been done on this subject in the general work force and

especially in the helping professions. I found both arenas necessary to explore in

understanding the complexities of burnout phenomena. An annotated bibliography of

some two hundred books and journal articles lists 1972 as possibly the earliest known

date for the use of the term burnout in counseling circles (Riggar). As late as 1985,

counselors were still expressing concern about a lack of knowledge and resources

regarding these “phenomena of burnout” (Riggar x).

Pines, Aronson, and Kafry, who published widely on the subject in the late 1970s

and early 1980, found what they termed “three classic antecedents” for burnout or its

related designation tedium, among human services professionals:

(1) they perform emotionally taxing work; (2) they share certain personality characteristics [empathy and sensitivity to persons’ needs] that made them choose human service as a career; and (3) they share a “client-centered” orientation. (48)

Though I do not find any references to pastors or other Christian ministries

covered in their categories of human services professionals, these characteristics certainly

apply. As such, ministers are immediately designated as prime candidates for burnout.

Pines, Aronson, and Kafry provide us with a working definition of tedium that

they indicate is identical to burnout. “Tedium,” they write, “is the experience of physical,

emotional, and mental exhaustion. It is characterized by emotional and physical depletion

and by negation of one’s self, one’s environment, one’s work, and one’s life” (202).

Babcock 38

I found the Pines, Aronson, and Kafry team research particularly helpful and

hopeful for two reasons. The first is that while burnout is “extraordinarily painful and

distressing,” when treated and overcome it can often be the “precursor of important life

changes, growth, and development” (3). This along with other studies noted below

indicate that burnout is not a dead-end street or point of no return to the professional

and/or the Christian minister. With Christ, as people come to grips with their condition

and seek help, the future always promises to be better.

The second finding is particularly apropos for those seeking to avoid burnout or

develop strategies for dealing with it. Pines, Aronson, and Kafry warn that precisely

those who enter helping professions with the greatest idealism and desire to help others

are at the greatest risk for burnout. Burnout, according to them, is “insidious”—it does

not appear suddenly or all at once as a result of some major stress or disappointment.

Rather, it creeps up on an individual “through a general erosion of the spirit” (3). Pastors

and Christian workers who are not proactively involved in preventive personal and

spiritual disciplines may find themselves burned out and not know it was coming. The

key to avoidance and recovery, as seen from other professionals, is found in the practice

of personal and spiritual discipline that bring balance back to life.

A Christian leader who burns out or drops out of the ministry faces additional

pressures that compound the issue. Pastors, particularly those with professional training

for the ministry, are assumed to have been trained to know how to handle issues dealing

with church leadership, interpersonal relationships, and personal moral and ethical

behavior. When leaders fail in the ministry, a much longer shadow is cast over their lives

than is true for other professionals.

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[T]hose in “full-time Christian work” face the heaviest decisions in the matter of burnout. When a pastor or missionary or youth leader burns out and leaves the ministry, he disappoints not only his [family], his congregation, fellow pastors, seminary professors, and the whole denomination. He believes he surely has disappointed God! (Perry 17)

Because of these multiple layers of disappointment and the accompanying

embarrassment, Christian professionals who are in fact “burned out” sometimes do not

leave the ministry but remain and seek to hide and deny the reality. In doing so, they

often exhibit negative attitudes and behaviors in conscious and unconscious ways.

A more subtle pressure on those in Christian leadership is what Briscoe, Larson,

and Osborne call the “burden of potential” (17). Most individuals reared in Christian

circles are familiar with the exhortation to be all that God has enabled us to be—to live

up to our God-given, God-enabled potential. This is what lies at the root of part of what

is commonly known as the Protestant work ethic. Osborne realized a few years into his

ministry that rather than becoming more Christlike, he was increasingly more

“competitive, self centered and dissatisfied” (Briscoe, Larson, and Osborne 17). His

focus on the living up to this potential was something he found is never achieved—more

could always have been done—something bigger, better. He was finding, as many do,

this pursuit of potential, making the most of our God-given talents, clouded his

perspective, and focused his attention and energies on performance and accomplishment

rather than spiritual health. As I have found in my own journey, drivenness and

perfectionism can be dressed up in spiritual clothes, but underneath they nurture

discontent, dissatisfaction, and dis-ease.

“High unrealistic aspirations,” alongside a “work ethic that does not regard

relaxation or vacations as a good use of time,” makes many in Christian leadership highly

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vulnerable to burnout (Kehl 26). Pastors, working as they do for God, often feel they

should be able to work longer and do more than other humans (J. Johnson 26). McKenna

identifies these feelings with the “law of Syntrophy”—the belief that our intellectual and

spiritual abilities continue to “expand with use and re-use” (“Recycling Pastors” 25). On

the contrary, he warns us, these resources can be exploited and depleted and need to be

conserved (25).

Rediger helps us understand one final source of ministerial stress—a conflict of

culture. Pastors, according to Rediger, are heads of one of “society’s chief valuing

institution[s]” (“Clergy Burnout” 10). In this role they face a number of conflicts of

culture and interests. Among those more easily identified conflicts is the fact that the

pastors’ clients are also the ones who pay their salary. A second conflict is as evident

today as it was in the days of Jesus—differing kingdom values. Pastors are the

spokespersons of a kingdom that values cooperation, servanthood, giving, and humility in

the midst of a kingdom that rewards competition, achievement, accumulation, and pride.

Dealing daily with finding a balance between being in the world but not of this world and

helping others do the same is the major part of ministers’ lives.

When scholars try to nail down a specific definition or list of causes for burnout,

they encounter some murky waters. A number of defining statements and characteristics

are found, however, in a review of Riggar’s work, which can now be added to Pines,

Aronson, and Kafry’s list:

• Neurological meltdown, tedium, occupational fatigue, job stress, job strain,

professional stagnation, occupational stress, melancholy, overwork/overload;

• Depletion of oneself, to exhaust one’s physical and mental resources;

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• wearing oneself out by excessively striving to reach some unrealistic

expectation imposed by oneself or value of the society;

• a process in which the professional’s attitudes and behavior change in

negative ways in response to job strain;

• a syndrome characterized by loss of productivity, energy, and interest in jobs;

• a pervasive mood of anxiety giving way to depression and despair;

• emotional exhaustion and attitude shifts;

• a progressive loss of idealism, energy, and purpose experienced by people in

the helping professions;

• always having incomplete tasks competing for your attention in the present;

• Prolonged involvement either with a few extremely troubling cases or with

too many cases; and,

• a condition produced by working too hard for too long in a high-pressure

environment (xvi).

While a relatively new phenomenon, burnout is not unknown or limited in scope.

Maslach and Leiter write of its “epidemic proportions” in the American workplace and

speaks of people as being “emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted” (1). A

summary of their list of burnout causes in the secular workplace demonstrates a parallel

to what persons in ministry can experience every day:

• feeling overloaded;

• lacking control over what they do;

• not feeling rewarded for their work;

• experiencing breakdown in community;

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• not being treated fairly; and,

• dealing with conflicting values (10-16).

Reinhold Niebuhr’s apt description of the parish ministry as far back as 1928

makes the connection. He stipulates that ministry is

a task which requires the knowledge of a social scientist and the insight and imagination of a poet, the executive talents of a business man and the mental discipline of a philosopher.… It is not easy to be all things to all men. Perhaps that is why people are so critical of us. Our task is not specific enough to make a high degree of skill possible or to result in tangible and easily measured results. People can find fault with us easily enough and we have no statistics to overawe them and to negate their criticism. (201-202)

Herbert Freudenberger, the psychoanalyst who is credited with the earliest use of

the term “burnout,” identifies a “dedicated and committed worker; the administrator, and

the professional” as being most prone to experiencing burnout (“Staff Burnout” 75). This

supports Pines, Aronson, and Kafry’s findings that professionals involved in day-to-day

helping professions are a particularly high risk group for burnout. If this is true, these

Christian leaders have a double mantle to bear when the disappointment factor and the

potential expectations associated with those in Christian ministry are added.

One additional observation points to a unique pressure for women in ministry.

Perry notes that women are even more vulnerable to burnout than are men (28). The

cause of this is the added dimension of isolation and competition women experience in

the ministry and other male-dominated professions. In addition to normal pressures,

women must also deal with issues of appropriate dress and authority that men do not

face. While these issues are added sources of job stress in most professions, they are

especially so in many Christian ministries where women face opposing faith-based

taboos on gender, dress, and behaviors.

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What about treatment? One further perspective on the subject needs to be

included that will make the needed shift into the area of prevention and/or treatment. As I

reflect on the phenomenon from a personal as well as a scholarly perspective, I conclude

that much of the analysis and research on burnout’s causes can be summarized as a loss

of balance in life. This can be loss of balance physically, mentally, emotionally, or

spiritually. In fact, Rush goes as far as to say that burnout is “our emotions’ way of

putting the brakes on” before we self-destruct (15). Seen in this light, burnout is seen by

many (Pines, Aronson, and Kafry; Minirth et al.; Rush) as the precursor for positive

corrective change. When either cures for or prevention of burnout are sought, treatment is

focused on bringing balance into or back into one’s life.

Balance, as is seen below, requires attention being given to each aspect of

persons’ selfhood as beings made in the image of God, and it involves their primary

relationship with God, self, and others.

As early as 1979, Freudenberger recognized that treatment often needed to be

indirect because individuals are often not aware of or are in a form of denial about

burnout (“Burnout” 26). Pines, Aronson, and Kafry’s observations as to the insidious

nature of burnout would add support to this observation.

Faulkner calls burnout the “closet sin of ministers” (11). In doing so, he relates

one’s denial response in burnout to the classic stages of grief. Pastors experiencing

burnout often “refuse to believe that something precious has been lost” (11). He

concludes, “If we deny it, we bury it. We keep it in the closet and pretend it does not

exist” (11). Again, the scholar is reminded of the difficulty of helping those who are

experiencing burnout. Like alcoholics, they will often deny the problem exists and fail to

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recognize the need for help.

Professional treatment programs involve a number of activities including

vacation, change in activities and routine, support system, hobbies, physical exercise, and

counseling. Oswald documents a similar list of coping strategies for pastors that have

proven themselves effective.

Spiritual formation (scripture, prayer, worship, meditation, journaling, affirmations, fasting, retreats, finding a spiritual director, etc.);… Letting go techniques (meditation, etc.);… Support networks;… Regular vigorous exercise;… Routes of detachment (hobbies);… Monitoring your intake (food, drink, television movies); and, Positive addiction (meditation, running, cycling, swimming). (New 22)

As I worked with the literature from both Christian and secular sources, I came to

some general conclusions that support and inform my conviction that personal and

spiritual formation is a critical need in the preparation of ministers.

• Burnout is a fact of professional life and, therefore, a reality to be addressed in

Christian ministry.

• Burnout and dropout have a number of identifiable characteristics and causes

that bridge the sacred secular divide.

• Burnout and dropout causes, preventions, and cures address the total person,

not just job and environmental circumstances.

• Burnout and dropout have a set of professionally endorsed, proven

preventions and treatments, which should be addressed in the preparation of men and

women for ministry.

At the heart of much of what I have read and personally experienced in burnout is

the sense of loss of meaning and purpose in what a person is doing and then in life in

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general. When individuals lose sight of who they are in Christ and why they are doing

what they are doing, even the eternal work of Christian ministry can become dull and

routine. Contributing to this loss of meaning is a loss of balance—a life without meaning

or meaningful connections beyond the “job.” Freudenberger recognized that persons

who lacked quality relationships and other social and personal involvement often

developed what he called “misguided efforts” in their work patterns (“Burnout” 27).

When people’s worth becomes tied up in what they can accomplish to the exclusion of

any inner reference or being, emotional or physical disease is not far away.

In contrast, Smith explains that “people who effectively fulfill their vocations are

those who have a deep commitment to God, a clear discipline in the lifestyle and

behavior, and a clear sense of apostolic calling and service for their fellow human

beings” (84). Fundamental in the list is a commitment, a relationship with God. Men and

women preparing to enter the ministry must have a clear theological, biblical, and

personal understanding of who they are in Jesus Christ. They need to understand from the

life of the Church how to nurture and maintain a relationship with God and Christ so to

keep balance, meaning, and purpose in ministry. Tension, stress, conflict, and delayed

gratification have been the lot of God’s people down through the ages. New gimmicks,

more authority, additional degrees cannot, in the long run, replace the assurance and

satisfaction nurtured in a growing relationship with Christ. In each generation, God’s

people have found the Holy Spirit to be sufficient to make them overcomers. This, too, is

part of the truth that can set persons free and that must be passed on to those ministers in

training.

Minirth et al. draw on the leadership example of Christ to illustrate ways in which

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stress of ministry can be dissipated and a new focus found again. As Mark records in

chapter 6, Jesus assisted his disciples into the practice of change in location, a change in

activity and responsibility, and a change for a time (97 ff.). Evident in all that I have read

is the need for change to break the downward spiral of tedium and burnout. Elijah of old

provides us with another biblical illustration for dealing with aspects of burnout (1 Kings

19). To a change in location in the Elijah narrative are added rest, change in diet, a

change in activity, physical exercise (walking), personal counseling (God), and a shared

responsibility (an assistant) that begin to bring about a change in perspective. Prevention

and cure of burnout involve personal and spiritual discipline. As seen in God’s dealing

with Elijah and affirmed by modern research, finding balance for persons means coming

to terms with who they are spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. If one of the

aspects of who they are is unfit, all areas of their lives will be affected.

Faulkner’s work notes that the effects of burnout are not restricted to the

individual but impact the minister’s family, friends, professional life, and physical life.

Thus, each of these arenas must be addressed in any prevention or cure for burnout. In

reviewing his “refueling” counsel to avoid burnout, I again find familiar categories

focusing on the need for spiritual intervention, professional and other network support,

proper physical care, and a realistic view of the nature and demands of ministry (125 ff.).

His personal and professional advice emphasizes the need for an “active and deliberate”

plan of action that involves all of the above (127).

The needed balance argued above is formative for NES’ approach to personal

spiritual formation. This balance is found in the four basic categories of the PSF

objectives: relationship to God, to self, to others, and to ministry. It is nurtured in the

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cohorts and faith-sharing group structures that place students not only in an effective

adult learning environment but also in a supportive, listening, and cooperative

relationship with each other. Community is critical in formation and in treating and

preventing burnout. Finally, this balance is modeled in a multiplicity of Christian

testimonies down through Church history that are assigned for reading and personal

reflection. Matthew St. John’s study of the pastoral leadership of Augustine illustrates

one of these. He provides the reader with the four-point guide to this fourth-century

churchman’s secret to spiritual balance and strength. St. John first expands then applies

Augustine’s self-watch program of Scripture, prayer, weeping, and developing

relationships for spiritual accountability to the ministry today (95-101). Prior to his own

ordination and following years of focused spiritual examination and growth, Augustine

wrote to a friend this compelling confession: “Now that I know my weakness I feel I

must search through all the remedies [the] Scriptures contain and give myself to prayer

and reading, so that my soul may be given enough strength for its responsible work” (qtd.

in St. John 95).

A significant part of this balance is found imbedded in the Wesley revivals of

three centuries ago, where John Wesley exhorts his young preachers to prayer

(communion with God) and to read (Scripture and spiritual reading) daily. In a letter to

John Trembath in 1760, he argued that such a practice is indeed “your life; there is no

other way; else you will be a trifler all your days, and a pretty superficial [p]reacher. Do

justice to your own soul: give it time and mean to grow” (254).

For Wesley, balance (or what he called true religion) consisted of

the living relationship to God, made alive in us by the Holy Spirit who comes to us through the witness to the revelation in Jesus Christ, recorded

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in Scripture, proclaimed in preaching, and practiced in the fellowship of the Church. (qtd. in Williams 37) The State of Spiritual Formation in Theological Training

In this section I attempt to summarize a current and a historical perspective on the

subject of the state of spiritual, personal, or moral formation within the seminary’s

curriculum.

Addressing theological colleagues, Nelson expresses a personal disappointment

or disillusionment shared by many regarding theological education at the close of the

twentieth century.

Can you remember the kind of expectancy in your mind when … you were looking toward the theological triennium which lay ahead? I recall quite clearly my own romantic anticipations of the life which awaited me on the holy hill of New Haven’s Prospect Street. Here I would find a community of earnest, pious young Christians, living according to such a pattern of quasi-monasticism as Protestantism can afford.… There, if ever in life, I would find the context wherein could be realized with unsullied purity the kind of Christian perfectionism which in my tender, pre-war idealism I conceived to be the New Testament norm of life.… Great scholars and teachers would be there who would unite … knowledge and vital piety. And thus, in the daily rhythm of chapel worship, godly learning, and communal living I would become that nearly ideal minister which common opinion the churches of my boyhood had made me desire to be. Need I spend much time in describing … the ways by which the actualities of academic life show this beatific public vision of the seminary to be not only inaccurate but pathetic and perhaps ludicrous.… Can AATS [now ATS] remain unconcerned with questions of Christian nurture? (53-61)

The state of spiritual formation within the seminary at the turn of the century is

still a mixed bag. While interest and debate on the subject have gained attention across

recent decades, a sampling of ATS-approved seminaries show little ground gained as far

as curriculum is concerned. Crowded, fragmented curriculum catalogs formed around

protected turf leave little or no room for additional courses in personal and spiritual

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formation. “Many are suspicious about formation programs and activities, and view them

as a threat to the limited time available for study” (Smith 83). My own experience in the

mid-1980s is illustrative of what we find today. While my personal and spiritual well-

being was the concern of most of my faculty, it was at the informal, serendipitous level.

Having brought in several transfer hours of credit, my master of divinity program left

little room for selecting any of the few courses in prayer or spirituality that were offered

as electives. Formation was not an articulated or broadly integrated aspect of the

curriculum offered in the early 1980s.

Beyond specialty courses, however, is the apparent failure to recognize that

formation (spiritual, moral, and character) can be an integrated part of all that occurs in

the classroom. “It could be a dangerous and counter-productive bifurcation within a

theology school to identify spiritual formation only with experiences outside of the

classroom” (Senior and Weber 27). Academic excellence and formation issues are more

often presented as adversaries (Smith 83). This need not be. What is being taught and

caught in the classroom can and should inform more than the mind. Stated objectives are

needed that provide the directive and the time to reflect on the personal, spiritual, and

moral implications of the course content. What students learn plays an important role in

determining the kind of people they become” (Senior and Weber 27). The 1972 ATS

study of spiritual formation in seminary reported two students’ comments held to be

typical of those surveyed. I quote one here: “I went through four years of divinity school,

and no one ever asked me about the condition of my soul. Pastoral ministry made me

frightfully aware of my own personal inadequacy in the spiritual life” (American

Association 190).

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An Association of Theological School’s (ATS) survey of seminarians conducted

in 1995 provided a mixed evaluation of the state of spiritual formation (Larsen). The

survey included a 1986 and a 1991 sampling of seminarians. Larsen does note that many

surveyed had been out of seminary by the time spiritual formation began receiving

increased emphasis. When asked if seminary had helped them develop habits of personal

spiritual growth and devotion, 37.9 percent agreed that it had, and 41 percent disagreed.

The other 20 percent were neutral. Graduates were asked to compare the importance of

various curricula in doing ministry over and against the preparation they had received in

seminary. The greatest discrepancy between these two rankings occurred in the area of

spiritual formation. “This was an area students considered very important but at which

theological education was not very effective” (50). Seventy-two percent of those

surveyed reported that they pray and meditate daily, but only 38 percent saw that their

seminary experiences provided any help in those aspects.

The five year study of the ATS “Graduating Student Questionnaire” (1996-2001)

presented a somewhat improved picture. The published findings show that graduates felt

they were leaving seminary with a stronger trust in God, stronger spiritual life, and better

ability to live out their faith on a daily basis. On a scale where 3.0 indicated these items

were about the same as when they entered, these are not strong scores, but they are far

better than examples given in earlier ATS studies. In addition, students were generally

satisfied with their school’s provisions for spiritual formation (3.7 where 3.0 is neutral)

(American Association 15). On the heels of this report, Greenman and Siew released their

study of spirituality of Master of Divinity students in Toronto. After presenting a number

of examples of students’ concerns for the absence of any spiritual emphasis and for the

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destructive influence of theological studies on personal faith issues, they concluded with

this recommendation:

In those seminaries where considerable numbers of students are experiencing spiritual struggles or an erosion of confidence in Christian beliefs precisely on account of the content and context of their seminary studies, there is a need for renewed attention to the formative nature of theological reflection and the school’s role in spiritual nurture. This study also suggests a need for ongoing consideration (and in some cases, reevaluation) of the nature of theological learning, especially the crucial relationship between critical methodologies or theoretical knowledge about God and the cultivation of practical Christian wisdom expressed in knowing, loving, and serving God. (18-19)

A brief historical review may clarify how the theological academy arrived at this

point of fragmentation and reveal a path for restoration of wholeness. Farley traces the

historical debate and schism through its development beginning with a migration in the

use and understanding of the term theology. He makes the distinction between its use as

knowledge and as a discipline. Theology as knowledge—knowledge of God—was “very

much part of the [early] Christian movement and Christian (patristic) literature” (33).

Here the emphasis was on knowing God in a personal, mystical, saving way. Theology as

discipline is theology as science—the use of various investigative tools to examine God.

During the Middle Ages—twelfth century through the Enlightenment—these distinctions

were honed and established.

What gives this period its unity is the coming together of the classical patristic doctrinal scheme and the school.… The result is the appropriation of learning, especially from philosophy, into a framework to explore and express the classical scheme.… The distinction between theology as knowledge and theology as discipline becomes sharpened. And as theology as knowledge grows in the school, it is opposed by those who see theology as a salvific knowledge.… As the Thomist line developed theology more and more as a scientia in the sense of a discipline, a theoretical science, so came reaction against this form from the Augustinian-monastic line (Bonaventure) which insisted that theologia had to do with the mind’s road to God. (34-35)

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While theology as Aristotelian science made its mark during these middle

centuries in the university, it did not replace theology as knowledge—“a practical

knowledge whose end is salvation” (Farley 39). Not until the Enlightenment down to the

present do we witness the major break with traditional views and uses of the term

theology. During this third period, the academy witnessed two major transformations (29-

48). The first was the result of the pietistic response to stem the scholastic-scientific

approach bringing theological studies back to an emphasis on faith and personal

formation. The second was the impact of the enlightenment itself and the independent

study of Scripture and the Church. The result was the break-up of theology into a

specialized list of disciplines related to ministry rather than the former single, all-

encompassing science of ministry. Now theology was seen as one study or specialty

among many related to and preparing one for ministry. “Its older usage as a disposition of

the soul toward God had been transformed, without retaining the word, into the know-

hows required for tasks of ministry” (43). The continuing concern for the “the

individual’s experience and faith and discontent with a merely academic approach to the

study of theology” can be seen in modern-day efforts to (1) make each of the theological

sciences relevant, (2) develop a specialized track in formation, and (3) build a theological

education (i.e., required studies) around the unifying theme of the needed tasks for

ministry (43). As the needs of ministry change with each generation, church group, and

culture so did the curriculum for a theological education.

The end result of this process has been what Farley and others see as the

fragmentation of theological education—a fragmentation where “the curriculum no

longer is a course of study but has become a series of studious jumps in various

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directions” (Richard Niebuhr xviii). This is a fragmentation where theological education,

once an all-encompassing exploration of one’s relationship with God, became an index of

specialized studies and skills. In the process, spirituality, our primary salvific relationship

to God, including the transforming, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, was relegated

to a minor, oft neglected, subjective sub-category of study.

Table 2.1 is my attempt to picture Farley’s historical development of

seminary/theological education in the American experience. Here, in our more-than-two-

hundred-year history, I find a microcosm of the much longer transition at work.

In recent decades many have begun to make the case for returning to a more

classical model of theological education—a defragmenting of theological studies. Banks

makes this case in a call for “reenvisioning” the way theological education is done (17-

19). Neuhaus also addresses the debate in speaking of the seeming indifference to

concerns for moral and spiritual character of those being educated for church leadership.

Theological education, like other graduate studies, is a matter of the mind. Theological education is learning and doing, and what that does or does not do for the moral character of the participants is a matter of indifference. At least it is not the proper business of the academic institution where theological education is pursued.… [F]rom the New Testament era to the present [however], the church has always expected its leadership to be morally exemplary, or as some ordinals put it, “to adorn the gospel with a holy life.” (vii, ix)

Banks reminds us that “the ideal of ministry” in the Reformation always focused

on the “moral and spiritual character” of the minister rather than on “fulfilling certain

skills and functions” (26). Speaking at a symposium in 1992, he stated,

Considering the extent to which the moral crisis or breakdown in ministry is currently plaguing the church, we must attend more carefully to preparing people for servant leadership in the church. As it is dominated by academic norms and values, theological education is at present ill placed to do this, having substituted rationality for traditional notions of

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authority, and having created a dichotomy between theory and practice. Moral formation should be viewed as simply one dimension of spirituality, involving more than doing the right things in specific cases. Moral formation concerns a theologically grounded obedience to Christ, and depends on participating in corporate worship, interpreting scripture, and pastoral care. (22)

Table 2.1

Changes in the Context and Content of Theological Education in America

Period/Title Time Frame

Descriptives Forms/Focus of Training

First: “Divinity”

1600s-1800

• Pre-seminary • “Pious learning” • Personal knowledge of

God and the things of God in the context of salvation

• Study of divinity = dimension of one’s life of faith

• Education of ministers expected

• Education included “college degree” along with divinity studies

• “School of prophets”—mentoring by other ministers provided alternative to school-based divinity training

• Separation of divinity into distinct areas of pedagogy

• “post-graduate” studies for ministers

• Classical languages and studies—largely self-education

Second: “Scholarship”

Beginning with the founding

of seminaries

early 1800s

• European model (German) replaces English and Scottish Model

• Fourfold division of theological science introduced (Bible, dogmatics, Church history, and practical theology)

• Plurality of “theological sciences” requiring “specialist” teachers

• From a “study which deepened heartfelt knowledge of divine things,” to a study of “scholarly knowledge of relatively discreet theological sciences.”

Table 2.1, continued

• Ph.D. programs and scholarly guilds

• Cluster of special subjects taught by specialist in

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scholarship and church practice

Third: “Profession”

Mid-

twentieth century [Auburn Project 1899]

• Preparation for designated ministry tasks

• Ministry bears the sociological marks of a profession

• Move away from narrow denominationalism

• Shift from categories based on German “sciences” to “ministry specialist”

• Focus on current problem not scholarly disciplines

• Training for professional activities

We have not been without detailed studies to articulate and demonstrate the

concern for spiritual formation in our theological institutions. The Association of

Theological Schools joined in the debate by supporting a number of major studies of its

member schools in the last quarter of the twentieth century. To open a window on each of

these studies, I have attempted to summarize and highlight their findings below.

The first study was published in spring 1972 and was entitled Voyage, Vision,

and Venture. Throughout this lengthy document, a number of observations, concerns, and

recommendations are articulated to member schools.

The primary commitment of a seminary is not to training nor to education but to Christ and to His service. It is just this factor that distinguishes the seminary from a university department of religion. It … gives a seminary its raison d’être. (American Association 160) The spiritual formation and development of seminary students begins with, and is dependent upon, the spiritual formation and development of the faculty. (161) We press the larger point: in a student’s experience of the entire spectrum of seminary life he is being spiritually formed or malformed. (178) We have repeatedly heard the cry of the ministerial student that no one seemed concerned about the state of his soul; that no one has asked him about his spiritual life. (190) Students really do expect those who work with theological faculties and

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administration to be onto things of faith, about which we can speak with intelligence, and by which our own life styles and professional competency are informed and given shape. (196) The matter of spiritual development stands as a delicate, knotty matter, highly subjective yet intellectually demanding. It must be given new and priority reflection within our lives, in relation to our tasks, in tandem with our colleagues, with and for the sake of our students. (197)

In 1973 a survey of 4,895 individuals representing forty-seven denominations,

which sought a rating of criteria needed for readiness in ministry, included this

conclusion:

A closer scrutiny reveals the continuing request of the community of faith that their leaders be more than persons who have learned facts and mastered techniques. First the community demands that they be persons who have experienced the reality of being freed by the Gospel, who have personally glimpsed meaning in the midst of a fractured world. (Schuller et al. 9)

The second ATS study was published in autumn 1980 and was entitled Mission,

Spirituality, and Scholarship. Along with a great deal of analysis of the current situation

and a useful definition of terms, this study again made a strong case for attention to

spiritual formation among member schools. Faculty members involved in the study were

asked, “What is the most important concern that you bring to this conference regarding

spiritual formation?” Their responses expressed “a very personal concern about how to

develop, model and offer personal help for the spiritual life.” Next they were asked,

“Has your school developed an intentional, mutually explored set of assumptions and

practices in this area?” The response of most faculty members, as reported by Tilden

Edwards, was, “No” (“Spiritual Formation” 14-16).

Under the heading “Where the need for attention is coming from,” the study lists

the following cultural realities faced by seminaries at the close of the twentieth century.

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It seems increasingly abnormal for students entering most schools to have been exposed to a mutually reinforcing, significant set of spiritual formational forces.… Instead many come from recent conversion experiences with little history in the church.… Individual conscience has become increasingly important in a context of few or no agreed-upon norms.… The influence of Asian religions … [is] so recently operational [with an emphasis on contemplation].… [Seminaries are faced with] an increasing realization of the integrating importance of spiritual formation in a curriculum which is full of bits and pieces, often with no other way in which it is all brought together uniquely to inform the soul and calling. (Edwards, “Spiritual Formation” 21-22)

In summarizing a list of “needs,” the study concluded with a number of concerns

and recommendations. The following issues/questions were addressed directly to the

governing body of ATS.

Spiritual formation guidelines and curricular models are missing. We need a closer integration between spiritual formation and other academic programs. Where is spiritual formation in the evaluative process for accreditation?… This dimension in seminaries should be examined and evaluated. (Edwards, “Spiritual Formation” 34)

The Alban Institute surveyed 102 graduates from ten Protestant seminaries in

1980 (Ortberg). These individuals had been involved in ministry representing eight

different denominations from one to three years. They affirmed the academic training

they had received while in seminary, but the survey concludes they had experienced little

growth in faith. Oswald summarizes the typical response this way:

The greatest difficulty I seem to be having is being aware of my own spirituality. I don’t seem to have adequate spiritual disciplines that continually nourish that faith. My prayer and worship life does not seem to feed my own needs in this situation. (Clergy Self-Care 13)

In a series of journal articles published by ATS in 1987, entitled Spirituality in

Theological Education, several authorities weighed in on the subject and responded to

each other’s analysis. Forster Freeman summarized his concerns regarding the state of

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spiritual formation from his own experience while studying at four well-known

theological schools in North America and Great Britain:

I was extremely grateful to have derived outstanding intellectual stimulation, discipline, and information from renowned professors but midway through and continuing after graduation, I yearned for even more. I had allegedly been schooled to guide people’s spiritual development without having any instructions in how to pray, how to listen interiorly to the Word, or how to cultivate a personal relationship with God.… [None of these schools] had apparently considered the life of the soul important enough to provide me with someone to direct me experientially in its pathways. (47)

F. Freeman’s own research in providing intentional space for spiritual formation

affirmed his hypothesis that such a program holds “the potential of being a strong force in

advancing Protestant (and other) seminarians in their readiness for ministry” (54).

A particularly insightful article by Alan Jones drives home this personal aspect of

one’s readiness for ministry. He argues that in yielding to denominational expectations,

seminaries have become too practical and that students enter ministry with an illusion

that they can be useful without what he calls the one needful thing. The pace of most

seminary education leaves little time for spiritual self-examination:

Students are forced to acquire too many “skills for ministry” without the “one thing needful,” a maturing sense of self and a hunger of God.… Far better to struggle with the emerging sense of self than have to ask the painful question, “Am I anyone when I’m not doing anything?” It is better to begin facing this question before rather than after ordination. If they face this issue, ordinands might do less harm to themselves and others in the future.… There are few blank times or places for seminarians to pause, take stock, and asses the changes that inevitably take place in her or his spirituality. (19)

The need for an integration of personal and spiritual formation studies within the

seminary curriculum is widely recognized. How to implement it is the difficult part. More

articulated and operationalized models are needed for an effective approach. Rich

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resources from which to draw are available within Church history. In looking for a

model, however, curriculum designers need to avoid becoming so theoretically or

academically obsessed that they miss the simple and obvious. To lead someone into a

relationship with God, one must know something of that relationship at a personal,

experiential level. If this does not exist, then the ministers-in-training are involved not in

an exercise of Christian spirituality but merely an academic exercise. If seminaries did

nothing more than recognize this and then provide intentional time and space for students

to reflect on their own walk with God, they would be a long way down the right road.

Beyond these basic [ministerial] skills are other more personal aptitudes. Religious leaders need a spiritual kind of spiritual maturity. As people expected to direct or guide the spiritual growth of others, leaders will have special demands placed on their own spiritual life. As teachers and preachers, they will need both to understand the tradition and demonstrate its power in their own lives. Leaders will also have to possess spiritual, moral, and psychological stamina to handle the stresses and temptations that come with religious leadership. (Senior and Weber 29)

Spiritual Formation and the Doctrine of the Trinity

“Isn’t the Trinity an unnecessary complication, an interesting but dispensable

addendum to our faith?” (Fatula 17). For too long, the answer to this question has been to

agree with Schleiermacher that this doctrine, which was so much at the heart of the early

debates within Christendom, can and should be marginalized as having no real

importance in our daily life.

No study of Christian formation, however, could be complete or properly founded

without reference to this ultimate model of interdependency, cooperation, and wholeness.

In recent times, under the influence of theologians such as Rahner, LaCugna,and

Moltmann, has again peaked in this doctrine that originated from the practical experience

of the early Church. Since the time of the councils at Nicaea, however, a separation took

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place—a separation of Trinitarian doctrine and Trinitarian faith. While the expression of

Christian faith in worship liturgy continued to reflect upon the Trinity’s saving actions in

relationship to creation, doctrinal study began to focus on the intradivine life apart from

salvation history. Debates and theories rose as to structures and substances within the

Trinity. Though necessary at first to protect the divine identity and humanity of Christ

and to guard against a modalistic or tri-diety understanding of God, what followed was a

loss of the ontology of relationship that exists within the Trinity (LaCugna).

Charry expands on this loss of any practical interest in the Trinity further by

arguing that “under the influence of modern notions of truth, theology became more

interested in the coherence of Christian doctrine than in the ability of those doctrines to

sponsor a godly life” (“Spiritual Formation” 367).

Elizabeth Johnson observes that for the last millennium in the Western Church,

the Trinity has been “neglected, literalized, treated like a curiosity, or analyzed with

conceptual acrobatics entirely inappropriate to its meaning” (300). As a result, generation

after generation of the Church has grown up defending the doctrine but having little idea

of its meaning and impact on one’s personal or spiritual life and development.

For the early Church, the issues, while full of mystery and wonder, were

somewhat more simple and based on practical experiences. The concept of the Trinity did

not grow out of philosophical debate but out of the way the Church experienced salvation

(S. Johnson 303). For early Jewish Christians, God, YHWH, was one God. Unlike the

cultures around them, these early followers of Christ did not view God in terms of a

heavenly chorus line of greater or lesser precocious, self-centered, and geographically-

defined deities. Hebrews and Hebrew Christians joined in the creedal pronouncement:

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“The Lord our God is one God” (Deut. 6:4). The reality, however, that this first

generation of Christ’s followers experienced forced them to modify their theology

without apology and without need for a great deal of explanation. This God had been

manifested beyond all human doubt in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of

Nazareth and then again personally, within each believer at Pentecost. These monotheist

Jews had experienced God beyond them, with them, and within them (E. Johnson 303).

Left for a future generation was the work of trying to express this reality philosophically

and theologically.

My purpose here is not to further narrate the historical development of the

trinitarian doctrine, but to focus on its reality and its impact on Christian life and practice.

Rather than an exercise in philosophical gymnastics, “the doctrine of the Trinity is a

practical doctrine with radical consequences for Christian life” (LaCugna 29).

E. Johnson indirectly reminds us of an important psychological and sociological

truth regarding any faith system concept of god. The concept of God defines and

represents what is truth and what is valued in that faith community. For the Christian

Church that ultimate, defining, forming truth is not found in a god who rises from the

oceans, defends his or her turf, conspires against or has affairs with other gods, and uses

humans as valueless pawns in an unending tale of meaningless violence. Nor is truth

found, as was thought by the patriarchs and prophets of the Jewish and Christian faith, in

a single “being,” as blasphemous and confusing as that sounded in the first century.

Rather, the reality that set up the playing field, defined the rules, and is the ultimate judge

of right and wrong for the Church, is a God who exists in trinitarian relationship. In that

mysterious relationship, the Church is to find the basis for its being and actions. In that

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relationship, truth is articulated and modeled. Church and society suffer when this

relationship is misdefined or misunderstood for any reason, but particularly when that

misunderstanding flow from theological attempts to understand the Trinity in human

terminology. A profound example of this is seen in the authoritative hierarchical models

for church and home life that flowed from the theological debates of the third and fourth

centuries.

Following the lead of LaCugna, I wish to focus on the Trinity as an ontology of

relationship. In doing so I find again the fact that the God of Hebrew and Christian faith

is characterized by communion, not solitariness (E. Johnson 306). “Biblical spirituality is

social Spirituality.… To be ‘en Christo’ is to be part of an organism, a new community,

the extension of the Incarnation” (Leech 9). The primary focus of God’s dealings with

humanity in the Old Testament was on the corporate level. Individual stories and actions

were seen in the light of the wider relationship between God and his people. Individuals

lived out their existence within the corporate covenantal relationship (C. Headley 4).

Ben Campbell Johnson articulates the significant contextual role of the community in an

individual’s spiritual formation.

Authentic spirituality is created in the context of a spiritual community.… The community, along with carrying the record and providing the liturgy, rituals, and symbols, offers a context for relationships. Relations with other journeyers provide support for struggles, offer the energy for which the Kingdom of God calls, and serve as a corrective for the interpretation of the presence of the Holy God in human history. In the community, also, the persons tell their stories. The hearers clarify the meaning of the tale; they affirm, correct, and help the storytellers relate their stories to the story. The faith community spreads the master narrative like a canopy and its shadow forms the superstructure of individual stories. Without the larger story, personal narratives lack coherence, direction, and ultimate meaning. (29)

As seen in Chapter 1, one of NES’ basic assumptions regarding spiritual

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formation relates directly to the issue of community. Only within the context of a

Christian community can healthy spiritual formation take place.

The Scriptures open with God in communion—in relationship to himself creating.

The ancient Hebrew text presents God as being present as God, as God’s Spirit, and as

God’s Word bringing creation into being. The preservation of the plural pronouns in the

Genesis text highlights the uniqueness of God in community creating. When the creation

process comes to a close in the formation of the male and female ADAM (Gen. 1 and 5),

the triune God imprints ADAM with the divine image. While much has been speculated

about this image, one aspect is made immediately clear by God’s own evaluative

declaration. God looks upon this bearer of the divine image and declares, “It is not good

that ADAM should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). God’s icon, reflecting God’s essence, was

designed to exist in relationship with its creator, with others of like kind, and with other

created things. Identity and value are to be found in the relationship to God, to one’s

“own kind,” and in the differences with other “kinds” or “seed.” Flowing from the

mystery of God who exists in tri-unity, is a creation—of plant, animal, and human life—

that exists in unity and support of each other part. In this state of community and unity is

paradise. Gunton argues “to be a person is to be made in the image of God: that is the

heart of the matter. If God is a communion of persons inseparably related, then…it is in

our relatedness to others that our being human consists” (116). Isolation is not healthy for

God’s icons. Losing regular, prolonged contact with family, friends, or colleagues leads

to losing touch with reality (Moe 21).

For purposes of understanding God’s design and desire for mankind’s existence

and relationships, I now more closely examine this pre-Fall creation. Nothing divides.

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Nothing is hidden. Fear between creature and creator did not exist. Fear between ADAM

and other animal life forms did not exist. Each provides for the needs of the others. All

relate in harmony with each other and with their creator. Hierarchical relationships within

ADAM’s existence are not evident. In point of fact, ADAM, both male and female, are

imprinted with the God image, and both share the responsibility of overseeing and caring

for the rest of what God brought into being (Gen. 5:1-2, 2:15). Metaphorically and in

reality, the male and female ADAM stand before God and each other naked. They have

nothing to hide and nothing to fear. The perfection of community present in the Trinity is

reflected in the Trinity’s ultimate creation.

Not until chapter 3 of Genesis do the realities with which believers struggle on a

daily basis enter creation. Here in one fatal act of disobedience, paradise is lost. Disunity

replaces unity. Community (comm-unity) is shattered. Dominance and dependence enter

into the relationships of ADAM. Looking out for self takes the place of the mutuality of

care. Fear, shame, hiding, and the pain associated with them become part of the human

experience. Of eternal significance are the broken relationship and separation that take

place between Creator and ADAM and between ADAM and creation. Within less than

one chapter of the history of human existence, the ultimate reflection of ADAM’s

disunity with God and self is experienced. Cain destroys another icon of God, his brother

Abel, and a generation later his grandson begins the practice of revenge murders that

repeats itself time and again in the ethnic cleansings of later centuries.

Before I seek to pull together some characteristics of the Trinity that can be seen

evidenced in God’s self-revelation and that impact personal and spiritual formation, I

address the rest of the creation story. In particular, I look at salvation history culminated

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in Jesus Christ and articulated in the life of the early Church to draw out any comparison

or contrast between life in the kingdom of God and life as originally conceived and then

shattered in Eden.

The good news that Christ brought is that what was lost in Eden is now restored.

ADAM’s separation from God is now restored. In Christ’s life, death, and resurrection,

ADAM can now resume the relationship to God that was intended and necessary from

the beginning. More than forgiveness is provided; relationship and friendship are offered

(John 15:15). With this primary relationship restored comes the possibility and the reality

of restoring other relationships. Using the model of the Trinity, Jesus prays that his

disciples will experience the unity—oneness—that he and God experience (John 17:20-

21). The New Testament narrative is full of community, relational, and family metaphors

picturing the restoration of relationships and the benefits of them—prodigal son, sheep,

vine, and branches.

The New Testament presents the examples of Jesus, the early Church, and Paul.

Here, the focus was not only on knowledge about God but also relationship with God.

Again, the focus was not only on action but also on affection that represented divine

acceptance and approval. A pure heart, a humble spirit, and a thirst for God are the keys

to the kingdom (Matt. 5:1-8). Those who only went through the motions outwardly

without the inner spiritual transformation were not allowed in the community despite

their protest that they had served Christ and performed miracles in his name (Matt. 7:19-

23). To love God first and foremost and then to express that love in personal actions and

in all relationships was lifted up above all the other expectations of the Law (Matt. 22:

35-38). Business in the kingdom, relationships in the kingdom, and status in the kingdom

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of heaven were to be based on a different standard than that practiced in the world (Mark

10:42-45). Productivity (fruitfulness) in the kingdom was dependent on abiding in

relationship with Christ (John 15:1-8). As the Apostle Paul exhorts, all was to be

modeled after Christ’s own servant heart.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. (Phil. 2:5-10)

In relationship, not in isolation, with God and with others, the children of ADAM

find their identity, purpose, and joy. Nurturing that primary relationship with God is

essential to the welfare of all of ADAM’s children and, by extension, for those in

Christian ministry. Intimacy with God empowers ministry (A. Headley 19).

While community is important, many things seek to separate and isolate Christian

leaders. A full biblical view of the Trinity can highlight these and help the Christian

leader stand against. A clash of cultural values is the first of these forces that often drive

pastors into isolation. The attributes of God’s kingdom as seen in the classical view of

trinitarian life and exemplified in the life and ministry of Christ and writings of Paul are

defined in terms like mutual submissiveness, interdependence, humility, obedience, trust,

and servant hood. Classic America’s rugged individual is often defined in terms like

autonomy, independence, pride, personal choice/freedom, self-reliance, and control. One

could rightly argue that there are active as well as passive attributes of God portrayed in

Scripture and that we are called to live in a tension and balance between these. Rarely

does the Church find itself in conflict with its cultural context over the active attributes of

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God. However, Christian leaders regularly face cultural clashes and conflicts in values in

regard to the relational attributes that can and do draw them from community into

isolation (see Table 2.2).

Cultural differences need not be limited to such dramatic conflicts of ethos but

can be found in arenas often overlooked. Differences in education, language, and

traditions can present pastors with more subtle pressures toward separation and isolation.

If, as a result of these, community is lost, isolation can and often does lead to additional

stress, loss of reality, paranoia, and burnout (Moe 21).

Table 2.2

Kingdom Attributes

God (Trinitarian) Western CultureSubmissive Dependent

Humble Obedient

Relying on others (trust) Servant

Autonomous Independent

Proud Free

Self-reliant Master

Apart from a balanced teaching in these trinitarian attributes, pastors and other

Christian leaders are prone to adopt what Robert Bellah et al. see as the problem of

cultural individualism “that has marched inexorably through our history” in America

(vii). “American cultural traditions define personality, achievement, and the purpose of

human life in ways that leave the individual suspended in glorious, but terrifying

isolation” (6). This is the antithesis of trinitarian life.

One somewhat new temptation to isolation is taking place in the pastorate—an

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estrangement that has driven ministers to seek meaning, belonging, and personal value in

professionalism outside the Church (Wells 175-88). The proliferation of Doctor of

Ministry degrees over the last two decades is seen, in part, as a byproduct of pastors

seeking meaning and societal approval no longer found in the traditional clergy roles. If

this is the case, recapturing that doctrine of the Trinity in our understanding of and

training for Christian ministry becomes a more urgent need. Ministers’ worth, their self-

confidence, their sense of belonging and purpose, must be rooted not in intelligence,

personality, title or degrees but in a nurtured unity with God.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit itself, unless it abide in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.… I do not pray for these only but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in me and I in Thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me. (John 15:4; 17:20, 21)

This metaphor of the vine and branches can be seen in John of Damascus’

argument for an understanding of the Trinity that puts emphasis on a distinction of

relationship alone while maintaining equality in all other aspects of being. “The three are

inseparable, subsisting and operating within one another by a mutual interpenetration

(perichoresis) yet without loss of relational distinctness” (Cunliffe-Jones 120). In the

view of some, Perichoresis, a Greek word, pictures a revolving or a cyclic movement.

The picture is reminiscent of Ezekiel’s vision of a wheel revolving within a wheel (Ezek.

1:15-20). The Eastern Church is credited with coining this term to describe “the equal

sharing of divine life” within the Trinity. The term describes the dynamics of each

“person” moving and interacting with the other. Some theologians, seeing an analogy

between perichoresis and the root word for choreography, have compared this movement

within the Godhead in terms of a divine dance of three equal partners. The model is thus

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extended to the Church as its members are invited to participate in and model the beauty

of community life seen in such a divine dance (E. Johnson 308-09).

As individuals come to understand this unique interrelationship, sharing, and

unity within the Trinity, they catch a glimpse of the oneness Christ desired for his Church

and are reminded that they are invited to participate in this divine nature and thus escape

the corruption in the world that brings division (2 Pet. 1:4).

In relationship not in isolation, change and spiritual formation takes place in life.

The Scripture speaks of men and women becoming new creations when they come to

God through Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Merton reminded the twentieth century Church that in

this relationship with the triune God a person’s true identity is found and formed. “Our

deepest self is not our own self, as we think it is. Indeed that is the false self. The true,

deepest self is the self that is one with the ‘Risen and Deathless Christ’ in whom all are

fulfilled in One” (17).

Charry would agree here that this Christian identity/formation is “neither self-

made nor constructed from the narrative of one’s personal history or biology” (372). It is

given from God through the sacraments of the Church and nurtured within both of those

relationships.

The doctrine of the Trinity provides scholars and curriculum designers a rich

resource of concepts and models. The implications of this doctrine for the spiritual and

personal preparation of persons for ministry provide a fertile field for investigation and

application. The doctrine of the Trinity models:

• an equality of worth, value, and personhood for each member;

• unity, community, and mutuality;

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• a symphony of thought, action, and actions within and among the

relationships; and,

• Eden’s original concept of nakedness between individuals—no hiding, no

blaming, no fear (Gen. 2:25).

The implications of these Trinitarian realities for the Church are revolutionary.

The possibilities afforded in them by the God who willingly shares his divine nature with

all believers makes an understanding of the Trinity indispensable and foundational for

those preparing for leadership in Christ’s Church.

This Trinitarian life is nurtured and implemented at several key points at NES.

Students entering NES are required to complete an autobiographical essay as part of the

application process. In doing so students are made to reflect on their lives in relationship

to God, others, and self. They are asked to articulate and personalize those doctrinal

truths that are nonnegotiable to their faith. They must speak to issues of their personal

spiritual journey, significant relationships, goals, and to the needs of humanity and the

Church. Once admitted, students are assigned to “communities”—cohorts and small

groups—and introduced to the faith-sharing model of spiritual community life. Through

these and other means, each student is provided the opportunity for and models of

spiritual intimacy, cooperative learning, and the sense of belonging modeled all in Christ.

Relationship and personal spiritual integrity are woven into the fabric of theological

training through required texts, chapels, spiritual writings, yearly retreats, and personal

example. The doctrine of the Trinity forms and informs us. No adequate model of

spiritual or personal formation can be found apart from this mystery. “To understand the

Trinity is to understand more about ourselves and our nature” (Gresham 25).

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Measurements of Spiritual Formation

My investigation into measurements of spirituality uncovered an existing and

growing interest in this area particularly among those in the health professions. One study

listed approximately 227 published measurements (Hill and Hood) with many more

unpublished but in use by various professionals. A number of limitations are evident in

the study of these instruments, not least of which is the issue of validity flowing from

their lack of use in large-scale research (Hill). Some see this as a significant problem and

call “for additional refinement and validation of existing measures” (Van Wicklin 35).

Others argue for a new approach to establishing the trustworthiness of qualitative studies

(Seidman; Wolcott). An additional concern is that of Christian bias. Most measures of

spirituality have been developed and tested on American Protestant college students with

little or no other representativeness (Hill). Further complicating the development of this

field is the ongoing debate over what is religion and what is spirituality (Hill; Csarny;

Emmons). Among Csarny’s concerns is the need for clarifying the distinctions of the

religious constructs and existing psychological, personality constructs and the need to

help determine what they contribute to anyone’s understanding.

Pargament’s work in the area of religious/spiritual coping has documented a

number of relationships between a person’s spiritual state and his or her ability to cope

with stressful situations. His study provides hard evidence supporting NES’ assumption

that the stronger one’s personal spiritual life and disciplines, the less likely he or she will

cope successfully with the stress of ministry.

There is a large body of empirical evidence that religious/spiritual methods of coping can affect psychological, social, physical, and spiritual adjustment of people to crisis.… Studies have shown that measures of specific religious/spiritual coping continue to predict outcomes to life

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stressors significantly.… Methods of religious/spiritual coping may serve as antidotes to anxiety, as a check on human impulses (Freud 1927/1961), as sources of meaning in the world (Geertz 1966), as stimuli for personal growth and development (Fromm 1950), and as bases for social cohesiveness (Durkheim 1915). (43-47)

A comparison of Pargament’s list of those aspects of life that are threatened in

times of life crisis (stress) and those factors that result in burnout/dropout begins to show

how research in the health professions can support the call for attention to spiritual

formation in seminary (see Table 2.3).

Table 2.3

Pargament Versus Maslach and Leiter

Areas of Life Threatened by Stress Pargament

Causes Contributing to Burnout Maslach and Leiter

Personal control We feel overloaded. We lack control over what we do.

Intimacy with others We’re experiencing breakdown in community. Sense of personal comfort We are not rewarded for our work.

We aren’t treated fairly. Sense of meaning Physical health

We’re dealing with conflicting values. (10-16)

Emmons summarized many studies that indicate a close link between “religious

commitment and participation and quality of life indicators” (99). Studies have shown

that religiosity is closely linked to issues of life satisfaction, existential well-being, and

overall happiness (Poloma and Pendleton 255-76).

Summary

A summary of the four main areas addressed in this literature review indicates the

following:

• That pastors experience the same phenomena of burnout and dropout as other

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professionals and perhaps to a deeper degree because of the nature of their calling and

their unique relationship to their “clients”;

• That many see a link between the burnout and dropout rates of pastors and

the failure of theological institutions to adequately nurture their students’ personal and

spiritual well-being on a plane equal in importance to theological, biblical, and other

studies;

• That the fragmentation of seminary curricula between more analytical

subjects and those dealing with spirituality has a long history and is still prevalent today;

• That while many professional studies have addressed the need to reform this

fragmentation, until lately little progress has been made as institutions wrestle over

issues of protected academic turf and responsibility;

• That the Trinity form and inform spiritual and personal formation; and,

• That the body of literature is growing, particularly in the health profession

but also from social scientists and psychologists, that is demonstrating a predictive link

between a person’s religious and spiritual health and his or her level of satisfaction and

well-being in other areas of life.

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CHAPTER 3

DESIGN OF THE STUDY

Ministerial burnout/dropout rates after seminary graduation and the lack of

attention to spiritual formation in seminary preparation form the backdrop for this study

of seminary curriculum. Documented professional research attests to the need of

providing more than academic, technical, skills-based preparation for ministry in

seminaries. Today’s church leaders, lay and ordained, need preparation in the care and

nurture of their own souls and in the management of their personal and family lives while

engaged in the demands of parish ministry. As such, divorcing—an admittedly strong

term—personal spiritual formation (a person’s faith development) from other aspects of

the preparation of Christian ministry is believed to be a major reason for the dropout/

burnout rates after seminary. A more wholistic approach to theological training is needed,

as J. W. Fowler correctly argues that

faith, classically understood, is not a separate dimension of life, a compartmentalized specialty. Faith is an orientation of the total person, given purpose and goal to one’s hopes and strivings, thoughts and actions.… As such, faith is an integral part of one’s character or personality. (14, 92)

This study has focused on one seminary’s attempt to respond to this need and to

evaluate the effectiveness of its attempts. Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, New

York, in a proactive response to the research of the last quarter century, seeks to provide

such a wholistic approach in its delivery of theological preparation for Christian ministry.

As part of its core values, the seminary affirms the “importance of personal and spiritual

formation in preparation for ministry” and the “modeling of Christian community as part

of the seminary experience” (see Appendix F).

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In articulating how these values will be actualized, the seminary established

fifteen personal and spiritual formation (PSF) objectives that it seeks to “nurture” in the

lives of its students. These objectives form the heart of the PSF curriculum, which is

implemented explicitly through specific required coursework, chapel programming,

retreats, and faith-sharing groups. Implicitly these objectives are implemented through

faculty and staff modeling. To maintain the integrity of the program and its goals, NES

must be able to assess the outcomes of the program in the lives of its students and their

ministry. Data collected from the instruments used in this study will be used to evaluate

and enhance the PSF curriculum and its delivery.

This study begins with an assumption that the stronger a person’s spiritual life

and disciplines, the less likely he or she will be to drop out of ministry because of issues

of stress or moral failure. Stating this positively, the stronger a person’s spiritual life and

disciplines, the greater satisfaction and longevity he or she will experience in ministry.

Research Questions

The purpose of this study elicited a number of questions. To determine the impact

of the seminary’s personal and spiritual formation program, research data was collected

to answer three basic questions.


What is the spiritual formation profile of entering students at NES?

The answer to this question provided the starting point or baseline for this study.

To determine whether or not the NES program is affecting the personal or spiritual

development of its students, an entry baseline had to be established. Students were

assessed at their entry point into the seminary in order to establish a group profile based

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on the fifteen stated objectives.


What changes are observed in the PSF students’ profile as they progress through

the seminary’s curriculum?

The PSF program at NES is based on the assumption that with specific

programming and faculty modeling, a student’s personal and spiritual life will experience

change. The study recognizes the limits of such an ambitious undertaking. However, it

also begins with an assumption that if the seminary affirms the importance of nurturing

and developing one’s personal and spiritual life through explicit and implicit curriculum,

then students will see this as important and be positively affected.

Students were assessed at various points through their seminary experience to

determine if change can be detected. For the limited purpose of this study, that change

was measured twice across the Core (first year of study), during the students’ second or

third year, and after graduation. These four points of measure provided data that when

compared to the entry baseline allowed measurable change to be detected. For the long-

term goals of the NES program, graduates should be assessed at five-year intervals after

graduation.


What aspects of the spiritual formation curriculum, if any, can be correlated to

these changes?

Assuming that the answer to Question #2 demonstrates a positive or negative

change from the baseline, the final aspect of this research was to determine if this change

can be related in some way to the PSF program as delivered by NES. This final step

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recognized that a number of intervening variables needed to be filtered to determine this

correlation. Among these are age, gender, family, and ongoing involvement in Christian

ministries and activities.

Population

The population for this study consisted of the full-time students enrolled at NES.

At the time of this study, that number averaged approximately ninety students across the

2001-2002 academic year (see Appendix O). Only those full-time students who are

enrolled in or have completed the Core were included. For this study the population and

sample are identical. Due to the small size of the population, all students that met the

above definition were invited to participate.

Sample

Much has been written regarding the issue of determining an appropriate sample

size for a research project. Seidman speaks of the need for sufficiency and saturation in

determining sample size. Following his approach, two questions need satisfaction: (1)

“Are the numbers sufficient to reflect the range of participants … that make up the

population?” and (2) Have I reached the point where I am hearing the same information

reported? (47).

The decision came down to a concern for having a large enough sample to ensure

that each subgroup within the population could be measured. Floyd J. Fowler argues that

this is the key component. He states that after the smaller groups within the population to

be measured are identified, the “researcher then estimates how large a sample will be

required in order to provide a minimally adequate sample of these small subgroups” (55).

With an overall population of under 120, divided into five cross-sectional groups, to have

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any chance of measuring subgroups based on age, gender, degree program, etc., an

attempt must be made to test all students (see Appendix O).

In using the largest sample possible, the findings were reflective of the entire

student and graduate population from the outset. Correlation studies involving the

subgroup were not possible in most cases due to the overall small size of the population.

Useable statistical analyses beyond the main grouping were limited in accordance with

Borg and Gall’s observations because these subgroup samples were usually less than

fifteen or twenty (233).

Methodology

This study was an evaluative study in the descriptive mode. It utilized a cross-

sectional design, involving five separate points of data collection, with no comparison

group. Hershfield et al. state that for most qualitative research simple descriptive

statistics (means, ranges, frequencies) are all that are needed in interpreting one’s results

(77).

The limited goal of this project was an initial self-reported evaluation of the

impact of the PSF curriculum as defined in the fifteen objectives. The cross-sectional

study method enabled me to describe and compare student spiritual characteristics at five

different junctures across the curriculum.

The value of such a qualitative approach comes in its ability to uncover details of

phenomena not otherwise easily quantifiable (Strauss and Corbin 19). This is particularly

true when seeking to study the nature of a person’s faith experiences and recording his or

her own interpretation of what is or is not happening in that experience. With the absence

of clearly identifiable, observable attitudes or actions, I sought to measure the students’

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personal evaluation of that growth and then to let them tell their own story. While doing

basically a qualitative study, I did attempt to quantify my results for reporting purposes—

what Strauss and Corbin call “quantifying qualitative data” (18). Statistical analyses were

run on all mean scores at each of the five testing junctures to determine the presence or

absence of significant change.

Instrument Development

The following steps in methodology and data collection were employed to

accomplish the purposes of this study.

The first step in the process was the development of a self-evaluative assessment

instrument based on the fifteen PSF objectives of NES. Several approaches were

considered and attempted for the researcher-designed portion of this project. In the long

term, I believe an approach that had to be abandoned because of scheduling conflicts and

delays may prove most beneficial for future studies. That approach involved soliciting

responses from a sampling of faculty, staff, and pastors as to the observable attitudes and

behaviors for each of the NES’ fifteen objectives. Response sheets (see Appendix G)

were e-mailed to individuals with known interest, expertise, and connections to NES.

With these lists in hand, I intended to gather a focus group from these same faculty, staff,

pastors, and students to decide which of the observable characteristics best represented

the presence and/or growth for each desired objective. With the work of the focus group

in hand, I had planned to design an assessment instrument.

After several months of delays, I moved ahead with a straightforward listing of

the NES objectives in a questionnaire format (see Appendix I). Students were asked to

evaluate their growth over the preceding one to two years in each objective on a scale of

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1-4 (No Growth-Significant Growth). As these objectives included multiple elements, the

number of final questions was greater than fifteen. Each item tested only one element of

the students’ spiritual growth. A four-point Likert scale ranging from “No Growth” to

“Significant Growth” was employed.

A factor analysis was run on this instrument using the Varimax Rotation Method.

Component-loading was based on items being > .5 and cross-loading was compared with

a gap of > .3. The results shown in Table 3.1 demonstrated that items loaded (filtered out)

into four components consistent with the clustering in the initial instrument design. Two

of the clusters (Relationship to God and Relationship to Others) loaded precisely as

constructive. Items 18, 19, 20, 23, and 32 cross-loaded heavily and were finally left in the

areas originally assigned, as the subject matter most closely fit these categories.

Table 3.1

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Varimax Factor Analysis for the SGI Showing the Four Subscales

Item Loading Subscale Designations 8 .745 9 .751 10 .672 11 .681 12 .686

Relationship with God

13 .628 14 .608 15 .670 16 .668 17 .771 18 .578

Relationship with Others

19 .530 20 .596 21 .704 22 .605 23 .585 24 .747 25 .825 26 .785 27 .694 28 .626

Relationship with Self


29 .724 30 .735 31 .437 32 .530

Relationship to Ministry

A second part of this instrument was a questionnaire designed to evaluate student

growth in twelve classic, personal and spiritual disciplines modeled throughout the NES

curriculum consistent with Richard Foster’s categories as outlined in Celebration of

Discipline. A factor analysis was run on the responses to these twelve disciplines that

revealed two distinct subgroups that I labeled “Corporate Disciplines” and “Personal

Disciplines.” The analysis was done using the Varimax Rotation Method with Kaiser

Normalization. The disciplines of meditation, fasting, prayer, and solitude demonstrated

high levels of cross-loading, which skewed the component grouping and thus were

removed and treated separately. Loading was done based on scores > .5 and cross-

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loading scores of > .3 (see Table 3.2).

Table 3.2

Varimax Factor Analysis for Spiritual Disciplines Instrument

Item Loading Subscale Designations

44 Celebration .802 41 Confession .784 39 Service .780 42 Worship .755

Corporate Disciplines

37 Journaling .901 36 Scripture .763 38 Spiritual Reading .759

Personal

Disciplines

The second step was the development of a series of open-ended, semi-structured

interview questions based on the same PSF objectives of NES (see Appendix K). The

responses were recorded, transcribed, and coded. They were then interpreted and

compared to the findings from the two self-evaluative assessment instruments. Interviews

are one of the two most common sources of data collection in qualitative research

(Strauss and Corbin 20). Surveys, questionnaires, and interviews are commonly used

formats of policymakers, program planners, and researchers to gather data “about

people’s ideas, feelings, plans and beliefs” (Fink and Kosecoff 13; Strauss and Corbin

20). This is particularly true when the object is to collect this information

from those directly involved in the study. Robert Emmons observes that an open-ended

interview method holds “wider applicability in the assessment of spirituality and

religiousness” (97). His reference here is to a method where subjects are allowed to

respond, in their own words, to a series of open-ended questions posed by a researcher.

Six questions were constructed and revised with the intent of giving students the

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opportunity to tell their story in areas that were relatable to the areas of this research (i.e.,

God, self, others, ministry). Given the opportunity to tell self-selected parts of their own

story in specifically structured areas, I assumed that they would choose those experiences

that were most significant and/or in which they were actively engaged at the moment.

Seidman reminds us that telling stories is essentially a meaning-making process.

When people tell stories, they select details of their experience from their streams of

consciousness. “Interviewing allows us to put behavior into context and provides access

to understanding … [an individual’s] actions” (1). By giving each student the opportunity

to address specific, recent, self-selected experiences, I hoped to gain an understanding of

the meaning and importance they assign those experiences and thus gain a glimpse of

what was happening in that student’s relationship with God, self, others, and Christian

ministry. While one must recognize the limitations of understanding someone else

completely, one can still try to learn as much as possible.

Five of the questions were, therefore, indirect yet specific attempts to let NES’

students speak about and give meaning to experiences with personal spiritual

implications. In each case, when the student was finished with his or her story, the

interviewer asked a follow up question aimed at identifying precipitating events, persons,

or issues that had been involved. In so doing, I hoped to not only catch a spiritual

snapshot of the students but also make some judgments as to what may have impacted or

caused any self-reported growth or change. A final question gave the students the

opportunity to comment on the highlights of their NES experience.

Thirdly, to provide a standardized point of comparison, the Spiritual Life

Inventory (SLI) was modified and employed (see Appendix J). The SLI is a thirty-five-

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item questionnaire that uses a Likert scale to assess the following six subscales: Prayer,

Forgiveness, Attribution, Call/Vocation, Support, and Devotion. Originally developed by

Dr. Leslie Andrews, the SLI had the following reliability coefficients: .86 Prayer; .72

Forgiveness; .70 Attribution, .70 Call/Vocation, .90 Support, and .55 Devotions. In this

form it was used on a group of career missionaries. Those items specifically dealing with

one’s call to career missionary service were adjusted to refer to full-time Christian

ministry in general. An attempt was made to compare the norms from this scale with this

study’s self-reported findings. Here again a factor analysis was run on SLI results to

determine the presence of similar or different subscale component groupings, based on its

original design and use. The same rules were used as in other Varimax Rotations (loading

> .5, cross-loading > .3). Because of their impact on loading and cross-loading, items 2,

3, 8, 10, 12, 17, 19, 22, 24, 28, 29, 30, 32, and 35 were eventually removed from the

component analysis process (see Table 3.3).

Because a number of items did not logically belong with the scale to which they

were attached, in the end I used eight distinct subscales combining Dr. Andrews’ original

work and my own factor analysis.

Relationship with God—Items 21, 31, 23, 25, 27, 33, 34 all measure aspects of

the students’ sense of closeness to God.

Relationship with Others—Items 6, 14, 7, 16, 5, and 13 measure the students’

accountability to and support from others, be they their church in general, small group, or

an individual.

Prayer Partner—Items 4, 26, 15 measure the students’ prayer life in terms of their

commitment to a prayer partner or partners.

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Attribution—Items 8, 27, 23, two of which factor into the first subscale, appear as

a subscale on Dr. Andrews’ initial instrument. These items seek to measure the students’

efforts to seek God’s hand in making sense out of disappointing and difficult life events.

Vocational Call—Items 10 and 32 seek to measure the students’ sense of a God-

given call to Christian ministry.

Spiritual Friend—Items 13 and 29 seek to get at a student’s openness to another

in the area of seeking and receiving spiritual counsel.

Scripture—This single item (1) measures the students’ sense of importance of

Scripture as a source of spiritual nourishment.

Body of Christ—Items 6, 7, 22, 28 all reflect on the students’ relationship with,

and the importance attached to, their local churches.

Table 3.3

Factor Analysis Showing Partial List of Spiritual Life Subscales

SLI Items Loading Scale 21 31 23 25 27 33

.821

.803

.796

.770

.751

.734

Relationship

With God

6 7 14 16 5 13

.786

.776

.774

.755

.676

.618

Relationship With Others

4 26 15

.853

.814

.673

Prayer Partner

The fourth step, as time allowed, collected data from other sources that was

utilized in analyzing the final results. Exit evaluation responses were taken at the time of

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graduation from 2001 and 2002 (see Appendixes P and Q).

Fifth, questions were included on the first two instruments to collect data that

enabled me to measure the curriculum’s impact on subgroups within the student body.

These included categories such as prior seminary, gender, education level, degree

program, age, and ministry position.

Data Collection

In order to ensure the greatest possible participation and return rate, I received

permission to administer these instruments during normal testing and assessment times in

the school’s academic calendar where possible. New data was entered into SPSS software

for analysis as it was collected.

The administration of this research proposal began in the fall of 2001. The

members of NES’ Cohort 7 were tested as part of their orientation evening to seminary.

Each member of this new group of entering students was administered the Spiritual-

Growth Self-Assessment Instrument (see Appendix I) and the Spiritual Life Inventory

(see Appendix J). The instruments were administered as part of the normal assessment

time following the new student orientation session. Trained members of the NES faculty

and staff distributed the tests and went over the instruction sheets with the students.

Following the written test, each student was interviewed using the Semi-

Structured, Open-Ended Interview Questions (see Appendix K). Faculty and staff

members, six in all, conducted the structured interviews. Each staff or faculty member

received an instruction sheet (see Appendix K) and was coached by me in the way the

interview was to be conducted and recorded. Students were informed of the purpose of

these interviews, their relationship to the written tests just administered, that the tapes

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would be erased once the information was transcribed, and the fact that no attempt would

be made to identify individual students. The demographic data solicited (i.e., degree, year

in NES, gender, ministry positions, college degree, etc.) would be used for statistical

purposes not identification.

Interviewers were instructed not to interpret or assist the students in

understanding the questions asked. They could repeat the questions verbatim as often as

needed without commenting. Students were instructed to answer questions based on their

best understanding of the questions asked both in the written and interview portions. No

time limits were placed on the testing. Students were told they could answer as long or

short as they wished in the taped interview. Students were asked to create a personal

identification number (PIN) and to use it on each of the three instruments to protect their

identity. The PIN was used to correlate the various instruments and to associate

demographic information only. This proved to be a significant problem as reported later.

For the sake of time, six interviewers (NES faculty and staff members) were

employed to conduct these interviews during orientation. Students completed the written

instruments and interviews on site. Those two or three students unable to attend the

orientation took their test and interviews in the NES administrative offices during the

following week.

During the early fall 2001 (September), I administered the written tests to all

second and third year students enrolled in my Spiritual Formation Course at NES. The

same instructions were given at that time. Students returned their completed forms across

the next two weeks and signed up for times for the interviews that were conducted via the

telephone. Second and third year students not in my class were identified and invited to

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participate by mail (see Appendix H).

In early December 2001, Cohorts 5 and 6 were tested. Cohort 5 was completing

the Core, and Cohort 6 was at the mid-point of the Core at the time of testing. In each of

these cases, the Spiritual Growth and Spiritual Life instruments were passed out in class

along with instructions and a letter explaining the nature and purpose of the study.

Faculty members encouraged student participation, answered questions regarding the

nature of the study, and collected the finished instruments the following week. A few

instruments were returned later directly to the NES administrative office.

My administrative assistant and a part-time admissions counselor were trained to

conduct the structured interviews via the telephone. Recording devices were secured

from the NES media service office and tested. Reminder letters and e-mails (see

Appendix K) were sent to each student following the administration of the written

survey, and appointments were scheduled to conduct the interviews. The process took

much longer than hoped, as students’ work and school schedules had to be

accommodated. Because NES is a nonresident campus, interviews could not be on site.

Over 50 percent of NES’ student body reside outside Monroe County and commute one

to three hours one night a week (see Appendix O). With the exception of two or three, all

are currently employed full-time in addition to being enrolled at NES.

In January and February, one last group of NES students were tested—the

graduates. Mailings were prepared for the twenty-five graduates, and phone interview

dates and times were established. All full-time NES enrolled students in the fall of 2001

plus all twenty-five current NES graduates were included in the study.

Formal assessment at NES has been a regular part of institutional life since its

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inception. Assessment pieces are regularly administered at the end of each course, at the

end of each faith-sharing group term, at the end of the Core, and at several other

junctures. As a result, consent forms were not used in soliciting student participation in

this study. Enrolled students were invited to participate and encouraged to do so, but

were not required to do so, as at all other assessment times. The same was true for the

interviews. Students were told the value of these interviews, invited to participate, and

asked to sign up for a specific telephone call time and date. Consent was assumed when

the students signed up (see Appendix R).

Because of the small size of the sample at each of the five cross-sectional testing

intervals, as many full-time students were enlisted as possible. NES’ full time enrollment

for the fall of 2001 was seventy-five, plus the graduates. Part-time students were not

included in the study for two reasons. First, they had not yet been enrolled in the Core

and as such were not involved in the PSF curriculum under study. Second, part-time

students at NES are, for the most part, non-matriculated individuals taking occasional

coursework to enhance their ministry or meet denominational requirements for ordination

and scholarship assistance prior to enrolling full-time. Students who had been full-time

(approximately fifteen) and had completed the Core were included even if they were not

currently full-time. These individuals had been part of the PSF curriculum (faith-sharing

group, retreats, etc.) during the core and subsequently.

Confidentiality and the anonymity of students’ responses were guarded at all

times. No names or other personally identifiable markings were requested on the self-

assessment, and no names were recorded on the taped interviews. As this is a cross-

sectional study of the entire program, no individual’s changes across the curriculum

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needed to be tracked.

In February 2002, my former administrative assistant at NES was hired to

transcribe the taped interviews. Each tape was transcribed in a word processing program

where it could be reviewed and coded by me for evaluation. In excess of eighty hours

were needed to transcribe the taped interviews. Students’ self-selected PINs were

included in the header of each transcription. Individual tapes were erased and reused

throughout this time frame.

In February a preliminary review of my data revealed that I was potentially short

a number of entering student surveys. As this group was to be my base of comparison, I

decided to increase the number by administering the instruments to members of the next

entering cohort. Twelve members of Cohort 8, due to start in late March, were selected

on the basis of their acceptance into the NES program and their commitment to enroll as

witnessed by their registration deposit.

As shown in Table 3.4, 123 identifiable completed instruments were collected.

This does not represent 123 separate participants. Students were surveyed at five distinct

points in their NES journey as depicted by the number in the table. These five points,

labeled NES Place, were defined as follows:

• NES Place 1: New students entering the first year of studies (Core);

• NES Place 2: Students completing BHT 512, halfway through the Core;

• NES Place 3: Students completing BHT 514; at the end of first year/Core;

• NES Place 4: Students in the second or third year of studies; and,

• NES Place 5: NES alumni—twenty-five graduates as of May 2000 and 2001.

NES Place 2, those at the mid-point of their Core experience, had the fewest

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returns (8) and as such, was filtered out on all statistical analyses.

Table 3.4

Test Sample Size for Each Tested Group

NES Place

1 Entering Students

2 Halfway Through

Core

3 End of Core

4 Second and Third Year Students

5 Graduates

Sample Size (n)

39

10

20

33

21

The use of student PINs proved to be a significant problem in that many did not

remember or record the PIN as instructed. As such, thirteen of the Spiritual Life

Inventory forms could not be used since the students’ place in the NES Program was

unknown. No background information was requested on the SLI as it was administered

with the Spiritual Growth Survey and not considered needed. However, a number of

students at levels 2-5 returned their forms separately and failed to record their PIN on

both pieces.

In five cases the student filled in his/her name in place of a PIN. In these cases,

the background information (i.e., degree, gender, etc.) was obtained from the student’s

file and a PIN was assigned the forms. In three other instances, a match was made

between the SLI and the SGI by comparing background answers and the student’s age

with SGI forms that were missing the SLI.

The process of coding the transcribed interviews proved formidable. After

reviewing a number of the transcribed interviews and experimenting with many different

categories, I chose those categories that (1) best represented the students’ responses and

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(2) met my needs to relate these responses to the broader study (see Appendixes L and

M). Bateson states that coding must be relevant and accurate. By this he means that it

must reflect the needs of the researchers and “preserve the accuracy of the informants’

evidence” (120). I believe this was accomplished on both coding sheets. In addition,

coding categories should have four elements to ensure the external coders have a clear

understanding of how to code the interview (122). As I was coding my own, I wrote out

only the first two elements—a title and brief explanations (see Appendix N). I did not

map out “examples” or notes on borderline cases, which someone other than me would

have needed.

Two separate coding sheets were eventually developed. The first was used with

current student interviews (see Appendix L). The second was to be used with graduate

interviews (see Appendix M).

A preliminary reading of a number of transcribed interviews revealed a further

step was needed to maintain the integrity and independence of the evaluation. As such,

each transcription was printed so that all demographic information appeared on the front

page, separated from the students’ responses to the questions. Prior to reading the

responses, I folded each cover page back, revealing only the PIN in the header and the

student’s responses. In this way the probability of my coding being influenced by

knowing the student’s NES place was removed.

Twenty-five separate categories were selected for the current student interviews

and eight for the graduate interviews. Several efforts were made at factor analysis of the

coded answers with little if any results that proved helpful or useable in this research.

Therefore, in each instance the categories are best analyzed separately. The items did fall

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into some broad groupings on the current student sheet (see Appendix L). Those groups

(not subscales) are

• Items 1-11: A reflection of where the student was at the time of the interview

in regard to specific spiritual indicators NES seeks to nurture;

• Items 12-18: The students’ self-reported influence of the role of specific

aspects of the NES experience on their growth/change; and,

• Items 19-24: The impact of other factors at play in the students’ spiritual

growth/changes during the time reported (i.e., ministry, family, friends, etc.).

One final rule was employed. To ensure the strongest possible consistency in my

scoring, all interviews were scored across a five-day period where I left the campus and

focused entirely on reading and scoring in large blocks of time (5-8 hours per day).

In scoring each transcription based on the prepared coding sheet, I remained open

to other surprise themes or trends. Strauss and Corbin observe, “In open sampling it is

crucial to maintain a balance between consistency (that is, systematically gathering

relevant data about categories) and the making of discoveries (uncovering new

categories, or new properties and dimensions)” (182). One of these discoveries, the

breadth and depth of responses, is reported in Chapter 5.

An additional definition is needed at this juncture to explain how I evaluated parts

of the interview. On each transcription, I sought to measure the overall sense of the

students’ spiritual life and well-being. In scoring this category (see Appendixes L and M,

items 1 and 25, respectively), I looked for evidence in the entire interview of the

following:

• a regular prayer life;

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• the reading of Scripture;

• an awareness of God’s presence and direction in student’s daily life;

• sense of God leading, involvement in the students’ ministry;

• a personal trust, confidence in God’s wisdom, timing, etc.; and,

• a general sense of excitement about their ministry for God and with God.

All data was first entered into an SPSS database and later copied into a series of

Microsoft Excel workbook sheets. To minimize the possibility of transcription error, my

administrative assistant entered the data as I called out the numbers, and then we checked

each other. Before analyzing the data, I then went through the SPSS document to check

for out-of-range scores. This is one method noted for verifying the accuracy of data

(Hershfield et al. 76).

Variables

A number of intervening or nuisance variables will influence the outcomes of any

data collected by the assessment instrument. I kept these in mind as the project

proceeded, and consideration was given to them, not only in the interpretation of

outcomes but in the development of elements within the instrument. Among these

intervening or nuisance variables is the subjective nature of spiritual and personal

formation. The ongoing life experiences (family, work, and ministry) of each student was

considered when presuming to correlate the NES personal and spiritual formation

curriculum to changes noted in the testing.

Considerations of an age factor in spiritual formation cannot be ignored. NES

students range in age from mid-twenties to mid-sixties, providing these mature students

with the opportunity for a greater or lesser impact of life events on the growth and

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maturity of each person. Many related and unrelated factors may have played a direct or

indirect role in the changes noted when measuring change over a period of years in

noncontrolled environments. Spiritual formation will have been influenced by each

person’s experiences and by his or her responses to those experiences over the twenty-

five to sixty years prior to enrolling at NES. Mentoring and other training opportunities

experienced by students prior to and during NES years play a role. By giving the students

the opportunity to self-evaluate the influence of each of these factors, I hoped to filter out

the role they believe the seminary played.

One independent variable to consider is the semi-controlled nature of students in

the Core (first year) curriculum. While at no time during students’ seminary careers are

they free from intervening influences on formation, during the Core program, variables

are at their lowest level due to the course and cohort structure of the program. The PSF

curriculum continues in years two and three, but during the first fourteen-month period

(Core), NES has the most significant opportunity to influence students’ personal and

spiritual formation.

Time and size impact the immediate effectiveness of the measurement. With

continued assessment over the next several years, NES will be able to revisit the findings

and broaden the interpretation. The initial number of full-time students limits the

generalizability of the findings. With time and greater numbers, NES will be able to

determine if initial results are repeatable and begin to look at the longitudinal impact of

its program after graduation.

This limited study did not attempt any predictive analysis of the data collected. It

simply attempted to make some specific descriptive observations of any apparent impact

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of the NES program on the lives of its students while in seminary.

Reliability and Validity

Resisting the inclination to give the typical definition for reliability and validity, I

choose to come at this needed section from another, broader perspective. I discovered

that qualitative researchers do not have a “single stance or consensus for addressing”

these traditional topics (Creswell 157). As such, my review of the research literature has

brought me to a restatement of the ultimate questions that lie behind the issue of

reliability and validity.

Whose story and whose meaning of that story is going to be reported in the data

presented in this research? Ultimately, this is the issue at stake when outsiders question

and researchers report the process they have followed to establish reliable and valid data.

In quantitative research, every effort is made to limit the impact/influence of the

instruments in use. In qualitative research, the instrument’s role and importance of the

instrument, the “human interviewer,” is affirmed and recognized (Seidman 16).

In arguing with other qualitative researchers for a new “vocabulary and rhetoric”

with regard to the issues of reliability and validity, Seidman speaks of the issues of

trustworthiness, credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability of the

research (17). Wolcott agrees and argues for the “absurdity of validity” and chooses to

emphasize the techniques and approaches that make for accuracy in recording data and

candid subjectivity rather than detached objectivity and allowing the readers to see for

themselves (347-57).

I find great comfort and instruction in these observations. While I did not exercise

the traditional approaches to attempt to establish reliability and validity, I did exercise

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several other options. Cronbach Alpha tests were used to look for internal reliability on

the SGI and SLI instruments. The Cronbach Alpha is a measure to estimate internal

consistency by determining how all items on a test relate to all other test items and to the

total test. The closer the results are to 1.0, the better the reliability. When the items are

measuring similar things, they are internally consistent. Cronbach alphas were run on all

items—one subscale at a time. Table 3.5 summarizes the results. As is demonstrated in

this chart of Cronbach Alphas, the internal reliability was good for each scale.

Triangulation with additional NES assessment results was done and the results

reported to establish the presence of consistency with regard to students’ self-reported

spiritual growth and the impact of the NES program. Creswell lists triangulation first

among the strategies employed to ensure internal validity (167). Student comments and

assessments from two different Graduating Student Questionnaires from 2001 and 2002

were evaluated alongside data collected in this research (see Appendixes P and Q).

Finally, representative student comments were included that allow the readers to evaluate

for themselves whether what is reported is the meaning those tested intended to convey.

Table 3.5

Internal Reliability of Subscale Questions

Instrument and Subscale Cronbach Alpha SGI Relationship to God .84 SGI Relationship to Others .86 SGI Relationship to Self .91 SGI Relationship to Ministry .75 SLI Relationship to God .90 SI Relationship to Others .87 Attribution .75 Spiritual Vitality .68

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Prayer Partners .75 Vocation .84 Corporate Discipline .85 Personal Discipline .85 Spiritual Friend .74 Church .89

While some methods may not achieve the standard scientific rigor, they must still

be valid and believable to those who will be using the results (Fink and Kosecoff 13). If

the researcher can demonstrate a consistency between the data collected in these

instruments with other student-provided assessments, then, according to Seidman and

Wolcott, scholars will have strong grounds for confidence that the findings are authentic,

trustworthy, credible, and confirmable.

CHAPTER 4

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

This chapter begins with my describing the overall characteristics of the

participants in this study and concludes with a descriptive presentation of the data

collected and analyzed.

Characteristics of the Participants

Basic demographic data was collected as part of each test instrument. This was

done after identifying certain potential independent variables such as age, gender, and

education level that could have an impact on students’ spiritual or personal growth. A

description of each of these is presented below. Where possible, data from the 243

institutions within the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) is compared to the NES

sample group. This comparison is done as a means of judging how representative NES’

students are of the larger body of seminary students. There were 117 students who

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completed all three of the test instruments from September 2001 through March 2002.

Prior Seminary

Of the 117 identifiable respondents to this item, fifteen (12.8 percent) indicated

they had some prior experience at another seminary before enrolling at NES. For 102

students (87.2 percent), NES was their first time to attend graduate level theological

education.

Educational Background

Students were given five choices to indicate their current educational background.

Approximately 11 percent indicated they had no accredited undergraduate degree or

diploma. These individuals had entered NES under the ATS Special Admissions category

that allows individuals with nonaccredited education and extensive ministry experience

to enroll. Eighty-seven participants (74 percent) had accredited bachelor degrees. Eleven

percent (thirteen students) had masters degrees, and four held doctoral or other terminal

degrees in their field of study.

NES Degree Program

Sixty-five percent of those responding were currently enrolled in the Master of

Divinity degree program. The remaining 35 percent (forty-one respondents) were

pursuing a Master of Arts (MA) in theological studies. The 2000-2001 Association of

Theological Schools Entering Student Questionnaire indicated that 61 percent of

seminary students from member schools were pursuing the Master of Divinity (MDiv)

degree (Lonsway, “Graduating” Table 2).

Gender

Sixty-three percent of the participants were male, and 37 percent (43 of 117

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students) were female. This compares to a 65:35 overall ratio of men and women at ATS

member schools (Willard 23).

Age

The overall median age of NES students through Cohort 7 has held steady at

approximately 40. This figure held true for the NES Place 2 and 3 sample group and was

higher for the NES Place 4 (51) and NES Place 5 (45.1) groups. NES Place 1 reflected a

shift taking place in the average age of NES cohorts. The mean age of this sample was

36.6. These median ages compare favorably with statistics from the ATS Entering

Student Questionnaire (for the academic year 2000-2001), where 45 percent were

between ages 20-29, 23 percent 30-39, 21 percent 40-49, and 9 percent of the students

were age 50 and over (Lonsway, “2000 Profile” Table 4).

Ministry Position

Participants were asked to choose between three categories when describing their

current ministry—lay, paid full-time pastor or assistant pastor, or tentmaker

pastor/assistant pastor. Fifty-six indicated they were currently involved in lay ministries

in the church. Thirty percent (35 students) indicated they held paid full-time pastoral staff

positions, and 9 percent (11 students) were involved in self-supporting pastoral positions.

Ministry Experience

Ministry experience was measured in years of service. Only those participants

who indicated they were involved in some form of pastoral ministry were asked to

respond to this item. Eighteen of the forty-six individuals indicating full or part-time

appointment as pastor (senior or assistant) have been pastoring for less than two years.

Fifty percent (23) have been involved in pastoral ministry for five years or more. The

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remaining five respondents have served as pastors for more than two years but less than

five years.

The percentages in each of these characteristics held fairly consistent across each

of the first four samplings (NES Place) in the study. The only noticeable difference

occurs among the graduates. In this final sample, 68 percent had graduated with the two-

year Master of Arts degree compared to a current two-thirds enrollment in the three-year

Master of Divinity degree. Eighty-one percent of the graduates are male, reflecting a

strong male-female imbalance in NES’ first three cohorts. Fifty-seven percent of the

graduates are involved in some form of full or part-time pastoral ministry compared with

approximately 39 percent for the total sample. This figure is slightly higher than the ATS

average (53.5 percent of Master of Divinity students and 50.1 percent of Master of Arts

students).

Spiritual Formation Profile of Entering NES Students

I now turn attention to answering the first research question. I have organized the

data presentation around my three original questions in the section below.

Baseline Profile

Students were tested at their entry point to establish a baseline or entering profile

against which to compare scores at each of the next four additional cross-sectional

junctions. The data indicated that entering students had measurable levels of positive

growth taking place (see Table 4.1) in all four relationships measured in the Spiritual

Growth Inventory (SGI) in the two years preceding enrollment. A mean score at or close

to 1.0 would indicate no self-reported growth in a given subscale. The mean scores for

three of the four relationships tested was 2.5, indicating that students felt that some (2.0)

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to much (3.0) growth/change occurred in their relationship to self, others, and to ministry

during this two-year period. The highest level of growth or change was recorded in their

relationship with God (2.9).

Table 4.1

Entering Baseline Mean Scores on the SGI

Relationship with God

Relationship with

Others

Relationship with Self

Relationship with

Ministry

M SD M SD M SD M SD

NES Place 1

(n=29) 2.90 .61 2.50 .64 2.50 .64 2.50 .69

These scores do not indicate anything about the strength or weakness of these

relationships, simply the self-reported level of growth or change that occurred in the two

years preceding enrollment. An examination of questions that made up the subscales

reveals that the highest level of growth was experienced in the areas of confidence in

God’s active presence in the world (item # 11, 3.1) and in God’s active presence in the

students’ own lives (item # 12, 3.1) (see Table 4.2). Items 9, 10, and 29, with mean

scores of 2.9, indicate that growth has occurred in their own sense of God’s presence, a

growing acceptance of God’s place in their life, a deepening love of God, and a growing

sense that God was calling them to Christian ministry. Other selected individual item

mean scores are displayed in Table 4.2.

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Table 4.2

Entering Student Scores on Selected Individual SGI Questions

SGI Item Number and Subject

NES Place 1 Entering Students (n=29)

11 Confidence in God’s presence in world 3.1

12 Confidence in God’s presence in own life 3.1

9 Acceptance of God 2.9

10 Deepening love of God 2.9

29 Call to Christian ministry 2.9

13 Acceptance of others 2.7

19 Allow God to be God 2.7

20 Bible addresses own life 2.7

15 Capacity for compassion 2.6

18 Sharing faith 2.6

14 Love of others 2.5


32 Passion for ministry 2.5

25 Courage to take stands; secular communities 2.4

26 Courage to take stands in opposition 2.4

28 Disciplined prayer life 2.4

24 Courage to take stands; religious communities 2.3

30 Call to specific form of ministry 2.3

31 Holds “things” loosely 2.2

Female students tended to report higher levels of growth or change than male

students in all four categories: Relationship to God, 3.1-2.8; Relationship to Others, 2.8-

2.4; Relationship to Self, 2.5-2.4; and, Relationship to Ministry, 2.6-2.5. Students

matriculating as MDiv majors scored consistently higher than those pursuing the MA

degree in all four categories with the greatest difference in mean scores occurring in

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Relationship to Ministry (MDiv 2.7, MA 2.0) (see Table 4.3).

Table 4.3

Entering Demographic Baseline Scores on the SGI

NES Place 1 Relationship with

God Relationship with

Others Relationship with

Self Relationship with

Ministry

Gender

Male (n=19) 2.8 2.4 2.4 2.5

Female (n=10) 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.6

Degree

MDiv (n=21) 3.0 2.6 2.6 2.7

MA (n=8) 2.7 2.3 2.1 2.0

Ministry

Pastors (n=6) 2.6 2.5 2.3 2.5

Lay (n=22) 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.5


Age Age < 39 (n=15) 2.9 2.5 2.4 2.5

Age > 40 (n=4) 3.2 2.7 2.3 1.9

No Age (n=10) 2.9 2.6 2.6 2.8

While most other demographic breakdowns were not reportable due to very low

sample sizes on at least one category (n < 8), some scores may be noted. Older students

(> 40) scored higher than younger students (< 39) in two of the categories (Relationship

to God and Others) and lower in two (Relationship to Self and Ministry). However, ten

students failed to report their age so the sample size of older students was only four. The

mean scores of the younger students is right at the mean score for all students in three of

the four categories; thus older students’ scores would appear to be pulling the first two

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categories up and the last two down. Lay leaders (n=22) tended to score higher than

pastors (n=6) in Relationship to God (3.0-2.6) and Self (2.5-2.3). Again, the sample size

of six makes any judgment questionable, but noting the mean scores of lay students

compared to the overall mean scores, those in the pastorate self-reported less growth and

thus tended to pull the overall mean down in regards to Relationship with God (2.6) and

Self (2.3).

Mean scores on the Spiritual Discipline Inventory (SDI) part of the SGI were

lower in general than the SGI Relationship scores on ten of the twelve disciplines listed

(see Table 4.4). This inventory attempted to get a snapshot of students’ practice and/or

their sense of value of each of twelve classic spiritual disciplines. The same four-point

Likert scale was used to indicate growth or change. Students were told the growth was to

be measured by their increased practice of, appreciation for, or sense of value for a

particular discipline. A low growth score would therefore be interpreted as representing

the opposite of these.

Table 4.4

Entering Scores on the Spiritual Disciplines Inventory (SGI)

Item Number and Spiritual Discipline NES Place 1 Entering Students (n=29)

33 Prayer 2.3

34 Meditation 2.0

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35 Fasting 1.4

36 Study of Scripture 2.3

37 Journaling 1.6

38 Spiritual Reading 2.3

39 Service 2.6

40 Solitude 2.0

41 Confession 2.3

42 Worship 2.6

43 Guidance 2.2

44 Celebration 2.0

In general, with the exception of Service (2.6) and Worship (2.6), SDI mean

scores are indicative of very low levels of practice, value, and appreciation for these

disciplines in the lives of NES entering students. The disciplines of Fasting (1.4) and

Journaling (1.6) stand out with the lowest overall mean scores. These low scores when

interpreted along with the results from the semi-structured interview appear to confirm

that students opted for recording a “1” if they did not practice a particular discipline. No

“blank” responses were found on any of these items.

When grouped in their respective corporate and personal subscales, the scores

indicate marginal levels (2.3 and 2.1) of growth or change in the years preceding

enrollment. Some small differences can be seen based on demographic categories (see

Table 4.5). Female students tended to score higher than males in both subscales.

Table 4.5

Demographic Breakdown of Entering Scores on the Spiritual Discipline Scales (SGI)

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NES Place 1 Corporate (Items: 39, 41, 42, 44)

Personal (Items: 36, 37, 38)

All (n=29) 2.3 2.1

Gender

Male (n=19) 2.2 2.0

Female (n=10) 2.5 2.2

Ministry

Pastor (n=6) 2.2 1.8

Lay (n=22) 2.4 2.1

Age

Age<39 (n=15) 2.3 1.8

Age>40 (n=4) 2.0 2.5

No Age (n=10) 2.5 2.3

Degree

MDiv (n=21) 2.5 2.2

MA (n=8) 2.0 1.6

The second instrument administered was the Spiritual Life Inventory (see

Appendix J). Table 4.6 displays the eight subscale scores, along with a number of

individual item scores. In a series of thirty-five mostly positively-worded statements,

students responded on a scale of 5-1 as to whether each was “always” to “never” true of

the personal experience. In the first subscale, Relationship with God, the entering

students’ mean score was 3.5 on this five-point scale. As these items purport to measure

the students’ experiences of closeness to God and of God’s active presence in daily

events in the students’ lives, this score would indicate a moderately strong relationship

existed at the time of enrollment. This supports the self-reported finding on the

Relationship with God scale in the SGI. The highest individual score within this subscale

occurred on item 25 (3.8), which measured the students’ experiences of God’s

forgiveness. Male and female students scored the same in this subscale (3.4), and both

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scored the same on item 25. Male pastors were more likely to experience the Holy

Spirit’s active assistance in their lives than students who were female and lay leaders.

Older, female MA students were more apt to report experiencing the surprise

interventions of God than younger, male, MDiv students.

On the related subscale of Attribution, the measure of students’ attempts to seek

God’s hand and explanation in moments of difficulty or failure, the entering mean score

was 3.6. This score indicates a more than occasional orientation of entering students to

seek spiritual, God-influenced, answers during difficult circumstances. Female students

scored higher than male students on items 23 (3.8 to 3.5) and item 27 (3.6 to 3.4) and

lower on item 8 (3.5 to 3.6) within this scale. Older, lay, MA students were slightly more

likely to look for God’s hand and meaning when things went wrong than their

counterparts. Pastors and younger students were slightly more likely to allow God to

mitigate their responses in times of anger (item 23), while older, female, MDiv students

were more likely to see problems and times and stress as teaching moments from God.

These scores do not show statistical significance, and sample size in most cases mitigates

against saying more.

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Table 4.6

Entering Scores on the SLI Scales and Selected SLI Questions

Gender Age Ministry Degree

Overall Male Female <39 >40 None Pastor Lay MDiv MA

Subscale and

Selected Items

n=24 n=16 n=8 n=12 n=5 n=7 n=4 n=20 n=16 n=8

Relationship to God (#21, 31, 23, 25, 33, 27, 34)

3.5 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.5

Relationship with Others (#6, 7, 14, 16, 5, 13)

3.5 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.9 3.6 2.9 3.7 3.4 3.8

Attribution (#8, 27, 23) 3.57 3.5 3.6 3.37 3.3 4.0 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.6

Spiritual Vitality (#30, 18, 34) 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.3

Vocation (#10, 32) 3.7 3.7 3.45 3.3 3.8 4.2 3.75 3.7 3.75 3.4

Prayer Partner (#4, 26, 15) 2.7 2.4 3.0 2.3 3.3 2.8 2.0 2.8 2.8 2.4

Spiritual Friend (#13, 29) 3.6 3.4 3.7 2.95 3.7 4.5 3.0 3.6 3.75 3.25

Scripture (#1) 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.3 4.2 4.0 3.5 3.7 3.7 3.6

Church (#6, 7, 22, 28) 3.55 3.57 3.57 3.45 3.95 3.5 3.52 3.6 3.52 3.72

#6 Church Prayer 3.6 3.8 3.4 3.4 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.8

#7 Church Spiritual Support 3.5 3.4 3.8 3.5 4.2 3.1 3.0 3.7 3.3 4.1

#22 Church Worship Support 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.8 3.6 4.0 3.3 3.6 3.0

#28 Church Encourages Growth

3.7 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.6 4.0

#17 God Involved 4.1 4.3 3.8 3.9 4.0 4.4 3.5 4.2 3.9 4.5

#25 Forgiveness 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.6 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.8 3.7 4.0

#31 Holy Spirit 3.5 3.8 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.9 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.5

#33 God Surprise 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.3 .36 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.5

#16 Small Group 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.2 4.0 3.7 2.0 3.8 3.4 3.8

#5 Others Forgive 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.3 3.9

The mean score on the Relationship with Others scale, measuring the students’

accountability to and sense of support from others, was 3.6. The score, falling between

Occasional and Usual, would indicate that entering students arrive at NES with a healthy,

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albeit not strong, sense of the value and importance of others (including others in their

local church) to their spiritual health and growth. Scores on individual items within the

scale vary by not more than .1. Some differences do appear within demographic sub-

groups, but again one must keep a strong eye on sample size. Female, lay, older, MA

students are more likely to experience their local church or denomination as an

encouraging and nurturing influence in their spiritual growth (item 7). Lay, older, MA

students experienced the involvement and spiritual nourishment of a small group more

often than their counterparts (item 16). Male, lay, younger, MA students are slightly

more likely to experience the forgiveness of other Christians in times of personal failure

than others (item 5).

The Spiritual Vitality scale is made up of three items that seek to measure the

students’ experiences of being spiritually drained, feeling God at a distance, and feelings

of failure before God. Each of these items was reversed scored; thus, a high score

indicates the opposite of these as being the Occasional or Usual experience of the

student. The entering mean score was 3.2, indicating that only slightly more than

occasionally did they experience the feeling of being spiritually nourished as opposed to

spiritually drained. In addition, a score of 3.2 indicates that in times of personal failure

these students may struggle with feeling close to God and feeling good about themselves

(not failures). Younger, lay, and MA students were least prone to experience a sense of

being spiritually drained (item 34). Younger and MA students were less likely to

experience estrangement (distance) from God during relational difficulties (item 18).

The role of Scripture in spiritual nurture is one of the stronger scores of entering

students, 3.7. Along with Vocation, this was the highest area of growth reported by

Babcock 111

entering students on the SLI. Older, female, and lay students experienced more growth

than others in regard to Scriptures (item 1).

An entering student was only rarely to occasionally likely to be found in a prayer

partner relationship (2.7). Lay, older, and MDiv students were much more likely than

others to have a partner with whom to pray and share needs, but with one exception all

means for this scale were under 2.8 on this five-point scale.

In contrast, entering students scored considerably higher than the Prayer Partner

on the Spiritual Friend scale (3.6). Entering students appear more likely to have a

spiritual friend (2.7) than a prayer partner (3.6). Female, lay, older, and MDiv students

are more likely to have a spiritual friend on a more than occasional basis than other

students. Age was the greatest single difference (3.7 to 2.95) in this scale. Older students

(> 40) were more likely than younger students to have a spiritual friend.

The mean score on the Vocation scale was 3.7. This two-item scale seeks to

measure students’ experiences of sensing God’s call and affirmation of their choice of

ministry. As reported above, this and the role of Scripture recorded the highest mean

scores. Older, male, and MDiv students were more likely to report this as being true than

others.

Four individual items (6, 7, 22, and 28) have the common denominator of the

students’ sense of relationship and support from their local church or denomination.

When averaged together into a subscale “church,” the mean score was 3.55. I note this

here and track it later because of NES’ strong emphasis on community in its PSF

curriculum. These individual scores and the collective score indicate a connectedness and

apparent healthy relationship between students and their local churches or denominations

Babcock 112

at the point of enrollment.

The highest mean score on any SLI individual item was registered on item 17.

This item purports to measure the regularity with which students experience God’s direct

involvement in their lives. The mean overall score here was 4.1. Male, lay, and MA

students were more likely to experience this than other students.

Semi-Structured Interview—Entering Students The first eleven items and the last seven (19-25) of the SSI are important for

establishing the remaining part of the Entering Student Profile. Items 12-18 do not apply

to entering students, as they seek to measure the impact of seminary life and curriculum.

Table 4.7 displays data from the SSI. Using the same Likert scale (4-1) as in the SGI,

entering students’ highest area of growth or change occurred in their view of self, 2.5.

The mean scores in items 1-11 indicate less growth or strength in most areas than

reported on the SGI and SLI, but a number of points of comparison are now clear.

The highest mean scores on the SGI, SLI, and SSI were on the Relationship/View

of God scale—2.9, 3.5, and 2.5, respectively. The scales purporting to measure the level

of growth or change in students’ views of or relationships to self each recorded a mean

score of 2.5 preceding enrollment. The students' views of the role of spiritual disciplines

on the SSI (1.5) support the results on the Spiritual Discipline Inventory of the SGI.

These two measurements strongly indicate that the practice of spiritual discipline

is not a strength of entering students at NES. With the exception of the disciplines of

worship and service, little growth or change is evident preceding enrollment. Items 7 and

9 support the findings on the SGI and SLI that in the two years preceding enrollment, the

average student has experienced positive growth and change in the sense of God’s

Babcock 113

involvement in his or her daily life and in a sense of God’s call to ministry (see Table 4.2

p. 103, items 29, 30, 32; Table 4.6 p. 109, items on Vocation). The mean score of 2.4 on

item 25, which seeks to quantify an overall level of spiritual health of entering students,

compared favorably with the SLI Spiritual Vitality mean of 3.1.

Table 4.7

Entering Students’ Scores on the Semi-Structured Interview

Gender Ministry Age Degree

Overall

Male

Female

Pastor

Lay

<39

>40

MDiv

MA

Individual Item #

and Title n=24 n=15 n=9 n=7 n=16 n=17 n=7 n=14 n=8

1 View of God 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.3 3.1

2 View of Church 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5

3 View of Ministry 1.8 2.0 1.6 2.3 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0

4 View of Self 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.9 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.8

5 View of Spiritual Discipline 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.9 1.6 1.6

6 View of Family Relationship 2.0 2.3 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.2 1.6 1.9 2.9

7 View of Personal Call to Ministry 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.6

8 God’s Involve-ment/World 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.3

9 God’s Involvement/ Self 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.3 2.5 2.1 2.4 2.9

10 God’s Role/Other Faiths 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.3

11 God’s Role Church 1.2 1.0 1.6 1.4 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.5

19 General Experi-ence/Seminary 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.3

20 PSF Experience in Seminary 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.3

21 Ministry Experi-ence during Seminary

1.8 1.9 1.6 2.1 1.6 1.6 2.3 2.0 1.9


22 Family Experience during Seminary 1.9 2.1 1.7 1.7 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.5

23 Other Relationships during Seminary 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.8

Babcock 114

24 Self-Reflection 2.8 2.8 2.7 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.9 2.9 3.3

25 Overall Spiritual Life during Seminary

2.4 2.4 2.3 2.6 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.8

Entering NES Students’ Personal and Spiritual Formation Profile—A Summary

Scores from all three assessment instruments indicate new NES students begin

seminary after a period of spiritual growth and change in their relationship with God,

self, others, and ministry. While the mean scores indicate levels of growth best termed

moderate, they do give evidence of a growing spiritual life rather than a static one.

Self-reports consistently give evidence that growth/change is occurring most

notably in relationship to God and in the student’s sense of call to ministry. The

consistently lowest area of growth or strength is evident in regards to the twelve classic

spiritual disciplines. The combined evidence indicates entering students who on average

are experiencing a growing awareness that God loves them, is actively involved in their

daily lives, and is calling them in some specific way to Christian ministry. The average

students are also experiencing change and growth in their views and relationship to self

as God becomes more of a presence in life. Entering students have a growing and

positive relationship with their local church bodies or denominations, and see them as a

source of spiritual encouragement, nourishment, and prayer. The level of relationship to

the greater community of believers is evident in the students’ view of others on the SGI

and SLI, where others are seen as part of their spiritual life and nourishment (see Tables

4.1 p. 102 and 4.6 p. 109).

Prior to arriving at NES, the greatest influence on personal and spiritual growth

came from the students’ self-reflection (item 24, see Table 4.7). Family, ministry, and

Babcock 115

friends, in that order, provided the other sources of influence on average students’

spiritual growth prior to enrollment.

Changes in the Student PSF Profile across the Seminary’s Curriculum

What, if any, changes are evident in this Personal and Spiritual Formation (PSF)

Profile as students progress through the NES curriculum or after graduation? Data from

all three instruments indicated statistically significant levels of positive growth in nine of

the subscales employed. Because of the small sample size (8), NES Place 2 was filtered

out for purposes of statistical analysis. I report on each of these subscales and a number

of individual items in this section.

I applied both the Spearman’s rho and the Pearson Correlation analysis to each

subscale and selected individual item mean scores. Finding little if any differences, I

selected the Spearman’s analysis, as it is the more conservative (less assumptive) of the

two processes. Pearson Analysis did find a correlation (significant at .05 level) in one

additional subscale on the Spiritual Life Inventory (Relationship to Others).

Tables 4.8, 4.10, 4.12, and 4.16 (pp. 115, 117, 118, and 122) display the

Correlation Coefficient (r), the r2 value, and the p-value for each subscale. The p-value

represents the level of statistical significance—the likelihood that the relationship

between the two scores would happen by chance. The r value indicates the strength of the

relationship, positive or negative, on a scale of minus one (-1) to zero (0) to plus one

(+1). The r2 value represents the statistical probability (percentage) that the change in the

dependent variable was caused by the independent variable alone. A double asterisk (**)

following an “r” value indicates that the statistical significance for that correlation is at

the .01 level. This indicates a strong correlation—one chance in one hundred that the

Babcock 116

correlation would occur by chance. Items with a single asterisk (*) indicate a significance

at the .05 level. While not as strong, the changes are still statistically significant and

indicate a relationship not expected by chance.

Though not footnoted as the others, many correlations in this study are at the .001

level—one chance in one thousand that the correlation would occur by chance. In no case

was a correlation negative. Descriptive statistics for each subscale and selected individual

items are reported along with their correlation to NES place. Mean scores and standard

deviations are given for each NES Place level on each instrument used in Tables 4.9,

4.11, and 4.13 (pp. 115, 117, and 119).

The analysis detailed below indicates the presence of statistically significant

change across NES Place (the students’ time at NES and after graduation) but does not

tell where that growth took place. I examine that issue later in this chapter. Mean scores

were significantly higher on nine of the thirteen scales employed in the Spiritual Growth

Inventory and the Spiritual Life Inventory when correlated with NES Place. In seven of

the nine subscales, the significance was at the .01 level and in most cases at or near .001.

Tables 4.8 and 4.9 show the significant correlations on the Spiritual Growth

Instrument and the change in mean scores respectively. All four scales on the SGI

correlated significantly and positively with NES Place. Three scales, Ministry, Self, and

Others, correlated at or near the .000 level. The relationship to God scale correlated at the

.05 level (see Table 4.8).

Babcock 117

Table 4.8

Correlation of NES Place with SGI Subscales

Variables Subscale Correlation with NES Place

N

r

r2

p

NES and Relationship with God (SGI) 85 .226* 5.1% .037

NES and Relationship with Others (SGI) 85 .333** 11.1% .002

NES and Relationship with Self (SGI) 85 .432** 18.7% .000

NES and Relationship with Ministry (SGI) 85 .404** 16.3% .000 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone.

On a descriptive level, the mean scores increased by 28 percent, 20 percent, and

16 percent between the students’ point of entry (NES Place 1) and their second or third

year of study (NES Place 4) on the Ministry, Self, and Others scale, respectively. The

scores on the Self and Others scales continued to grow after graduation, showing an

overall growth of 28 percent and 20 percent, respectively, between NES Place 1 and 5

(see Table 4.9).

Table 4.9

Growth in the SGI Subscale Scores across NES Place

Subscale and Item

Numbers

NES 1 n=29

NES 2

n=8

NES 3 n=17

NES 4 n=20

NES 5 n=18

Relationship with God (Items: 8-12)

Mean SD

2.9 .61

3.0 --

2.7 .69

3.2 .65

3.3 .66

Relationship with Others (Items: 13-18)

Mean SD

. 2.5 64

2.3 --

2.6 .59

2.9 .54

3.0 .57

Babcock 118


Relationship with Self (Items: 19-28)

Mean SD

2.5 .64

2.4 --

2.6 .66

3.0 .59

3.2 .49

Relationship with Ministry (Items: 29-32)

Mean SD

2.5 .69

2.6 --

2.6 .60

3.2 .64

3.2 67

Growth on the Relationship with God scale was not as strong but still statistically

significant and consistent numerically. A 10 percent growth occurred in mean scores

between NES Place 1 and 4 and a 14 percent growth between NES Place 1 and 5. On

three of the four scales, growth continued after graduation and remained level on the

fourth scale (Ministry).

Table 4.8, column four (r2) demonstrates statistically the percentage of the

variability in these rates of growth that can be attributed to a student’s length of time at

NES alone. These percentages range from 5 percent in the God scale up to 19 percent in

the Self scale.

Tables 4.10, 4.11, and 4.12 show the significant correlations on the Spiritual

Disciplines Instrument (SGI) and the change in means scores respectively. The two

subscales on the Spiritual Disciplines portion of the SGI both demonstrated significant,

positive growth across NES Place. Statistical significance for both was strong at the .001

level. The percentage of the variability in this growth attributed to the students’ time at

NES ranged from 12 percent to 20 percent (see Table 4.10).

The mean score growth rate increased 22 percent between the point of entry and

the students’ years two and three scores on the Corporate Disciplines scale. That growth

Babcock 119

continued after graduation and averaged out to an overall 39 percent increase between

NES Place 1 and 5 (see Table 4.11).

Table 4.10

Correlation of Spiritual Discipline Scales with NES Place


N r r2 p

NES and Corporate Spiritual Discipline 85 .441** 19.5% .000

NES and Personal Spiritual Disciplines 85 .347** 12.0% .001 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone. The mean scores on the Personal Disciplines scale increased 48 percent between

NES Place 1 and 4. A 16 percent drop occurred in the rate of growth from the second or

third year to after graduation. The overall growth rate between entry and two years after

graduation was 29 percent (see Table 4.11).

Table 4.11

Growth Levels in the Spiritual Discipline Scales (SGI)

Subscale and Item Numbers

NES 1 n=29

NES 2

n=8

NES 3 n=17

NES 4 n=20

NES 5 n=18

Change

% of

Change Corporate Disciplines Mean

(Items: 39, 41, 42, 44) Standard Deviation:

2.3

.59

2.2 -

2.7

.88

2.8

.68

3.2

.67

+.9 -

39.1 -

Personal Disciplines Mean (Items: 36, 37, 38)

Standard Deviation:

2.1

.72

2.5 -

2.8

1.04

3.1

.63

2.6

.68

+.6 -

28.6% -

Babcock 120

Table 4.12

Growth in Individual Spiritual Discipline Scores across NES Place

SGI Item Number and

Name

NES 1 n=29

NES 2 N=8

NES 3 n=17

NES 4 n=20

NES 5 n=18

Change

% of

Change

33 Prayer 2.3 2.6 2.3 2.9 2.9 .6 26%

34 Meditation 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.9 .9 45%

35 Fasting 1.4 1.5 2.1 2.3 2.3 .9 64%

36 Study of Scripture 2.3 2.6 3.1 3.5 2.9 .6 26%

37 Journaling 1.6 2.0 2.6 2.6 2.0 .4 25%

38 Spiritual Reading 2.3 2.9 2.8 3.1 2.9 .6 26%

39 Service 2.6 1.9 2.7 2.8 3.3 .7 27%

40 Solitude 2.0 2.3 2.5 2.8 2.6 .6 30%

41 Confession 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.8 .5 22%

42 Worship 2.6 2.6 2.9 3.3 3.5 .9 35%

43 Guidance 2.2 2.0 2.8 2.7 3.1 .9 41%

44 Celebration 2.0 2.3 2.6 2.8 3.1 1.1 55% Tables 4.13 and 4.14 show the significant correlations on the Spiritual Life

Instrument and the change in means scores respectively. Three of the nine scales on the

SLI correlated significantly and positively with NES Place. The Relationship to God and

Vocation scales correlated strongly at .003 and .004 respectively. Table 4.13 displays the

statistical percentage of this growth attributed to the student’s time at NES alone.

Descriptive statistics show that mean scores on all nine scales grew positively

across NES Place at a rate between 8 percent and 27 percent. In order of their strength of

growth, they were Scripture, Vocation, Church, and Relationship to others, Relationship

to God, Attribution, Prayer Partner, Spiritual Friend, and Spiritual Vitality.

Mean scores growth took place between NES Place 1 and 3 and 1 and 5 on eight

Babcock 121

of these scales. The mean scores drop between NES Place 3 and 4 on eight of these

scales. The mean score after graduation is greater than the Point of Entry (NES Place 1)

on the End of Core mean (NES Place 3) on all nine scales (see Table 4.14). The

percentage of loss in mean scores at NES Place 4 ranged from 5 percent up to 15 percent.

Those scales exhibiting the highest mean score decline were: Relationship to God (15

percent), Church (15 percent), Others (17 percent), and Scripture (13 percent).

Table 4.13

Correlation of NES Place with SLI Subscales


N r r2 p

NES and Relationship to God (SLI) 76 .332** 11.0% .003

NES and Vocation (SLI) 76 .326** 10.6% .004

NES and Church (SLI) 76 .263* 7.1% .021 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone.

Table 4.14

Changes in Spiritual Life Subscale Scores across NES Place

Subscale/Item NES 1 n=24

NES 2 n=7

NES 3 n=14

NES 4 n=18

NES 5 n=18

Change

% Change

Relationship to God Mean Score

SD

3.5 .71

3.3 -

3.9

1.06

3.3

1.09

4.0 .36

+.5

14%

Relationship to Others Mean Score

SD

3.6

1.12

4.5 -

4.0 .68

3.5

1.12

4.3 .33

+.7

19%

Attribution Mean Score

SD

3.6 .90

3.7 -

3.7 .88

3.5

1.00

4.0 .53

+.4

11%

Spiritual Vitality Mean Score

SD

3.1 .69

3.0 -

3.2 .76

3.0 .74

3.3 .53

+.2

6.5%

Babcock 122


Prayer Partners Mean Score

SD

2.7 .99

2.9 -

2.4 .85

2.8

1.14

3.0 .91

+.3

11%

Church Subscale Mean Score

SD

3.55 1.21

4.10

4.05 .74

3.45 1.20

4.45 .31

+.9

-

25%

Scripture 1 Mean Score

SD

3.7

1.40

4.8 -

4.5 .52

4.0

1.21

4.7 .49

+1.0

27%

Vocation Mean Score

SD

3.7

1.29

4.2 -

4.1

1.26

3.8

1.66

4.7 .46

+1.0

27%

Spiritual Friend Mean Score

SD

3.6

1.38

3.8 -

3.6 .95

3.3

1.51

3.9 .97

+.3

8%

Correlation of Selected Individual Questions within Subscales and NES Place

Tables 4.15, 4.16, and 4.17 show the significant correlation levels on selected

individual questions from the SGI and SLI instruments and the change in mean scores

respectively.

Table 4.15 displays the mean scores of individual questions from the SGI that

correlated significantly and positively with NES Place. Only one of the four items that

made up the Relationship to God scale demonstrated (that is, it registered with a score

high enough to be included in the analysis).

All individual mean scores on the remaining three scales demonstrated positive

significant growth across NES Place at the .000, .01, or .05 levels. The highest

correlations were demonstrated by questions 18 (“Ability to relate openly to others

regarding my Christian faith and life”), 24 (Courage/Confidence to stand for my

conviction in a Religious Setting), 30 (Specific Call), and 25 (Courage/Confidence to

stand for my conviction in a Secular Setting).

Babcock 123

Table 4.15

SGI Individual Item Correlations with NES Place

Subscale Variables

Correlation of NES Place With: N R r2 p

God SGI #10 Love God 85 .244* 6.0% .024

SGI #13 Accept Others 85 .276* 7.6% .011

SGI #14 Love Others 85 .248* 6.2% .022

SGI #15 Compassion 85 .237* 5.6% .029

SGI #16 Receive Love 85 .329 10.8% .002

SGI #17 Give Love 85 .227 5.2% .037

Others

SGI #18 Relate Faith to Others 85 .467** 21.8% .028

SGI #19 God—God 85 .313** 9.8% .004

SGI #20 Bible—Me 85 .230* 5.3% .034

SGI #21 Bible—Other Lives 85 .287** 8.2% .008

SGI #22 Feelings 85 .296** 8.8% .006

SGI #23 Creative 85 .229* 5.2% .035

SGI #24 Courage/Confidence Religious 85 .467** 21.8% .000

SGI #25 Courage/Confidence Secular 85 .347** 12.0% .001 SGI #26 Courage/Confidence in Opposition 85 .331** 11.0% .002

SGI #27 Worship 85 .324** 10.5% .002

Self

SGI #28 Prayer 85 .258* 6.7% .017

SGI #29 Call General 85 .235* 5.5% .030

SGI #31 Loose Hold on “Things” 85 .354** 12.5% .001

SGI #30 Call Specific 85 .367** 13.5% .001

Ministry

SGI #32 Passion for Ministry 85 .311** 9.7% .004 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone.

Table 4.16 presents the significant correlations of individual items on the Spiritual

Disciplines (SGI) Instrument. Within this portion of the SGI, eleven of the twelve mean

scores correlated significantly and positively with NES Place. Ten of these eleven scores

correlated significantly at .000 to .009 levels with NES Place. In the order of the strength

Babcock 124

of their correlations to NES Place, they are Worship, Fasting, Celebration, Scripture,

Meditation, Prayer, Solitude, Service, Guidance, Spiritual Journal, and Spiritual Reading.

Table 4.16

Correlation of Spiritual Discipline Inventory Individual Items with NES Place

Subscale Variables Correlation of NES Place With:

N R r2 P

SGI #33 Prayer 85 .312** 9.7% .004

SGI #34 Meditation 85 .335** 11.2% .002

SGI #35 Fasting 85 .465** 21.6% .000

SGI #40 Solitude 85 .298** 8.9% .006

None

SGI #43 Guidance 85 .289** 8.4% .008

SGI #36 Scripture 85 .345** 11.9% .001

SGI #37 Spiritual Journal 85 .283** 8.0% .009 Personal

SGI #38 Spiritual Reading 85 .271* 7.3% .012

SGI #39 Service 85 .295** 8.7% .006

SGI #42 Worship 85 .466** 21.7% .000 Corporate

SGI #44 Celebration 85 .453** 20.5% 1.000 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone. Table 4.17 presents the significant correlations of individual means within the

Spiritual Life Inventory scales. Two single independent items correlated significantly and

positively with NES Place. Item 1 (“Scripture nourishes my spiritual life”) correlated

significantly at the .05 level, and item 2 (“I experience prayer as central to my spiritual

well-being”) correlated significantly at the .01 level.

On the Attribution Scale, only one of the three questions correlated significantly

with NES Place. The question dealt with seeking God’s hand when things do not turn out

Babcock 125

as expected. The other two questions demonstrated positive numerical change that was

not statistically significant.

On the Relationship to God Scale, three of the seven mean scores correlated

significantly with NES Place. These three questions dealt with issues involving

Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and Solitude. The other four questions demonstrated

positive numerical change that was not statistically significant. In each of the seven

items, the mean value dropped between NES Places 3 and 4.

On the Church scale, two of the four means correlated significantly and positively

with NES Place. These two questions dealt with the students’ sense that their local

churches’ worship contributed to spiritual growth and that their churches encouraged the

students’ growth. The other two questions demonstrated positive numerical change that

was not statistically significant. In each of the four items the mean value dropped

between NES Place 3 and 4.

On the Vocation scale, both questions correlated significantly and positively with

NES Place. Each successive NES level showed a numerical increase, with the exception

of the mean value between NES Places 3 and 4, which decreased.

Table 4.17

Spiritual Life Inventory Individual Item Correlation with NES Place

Subscale Variables NES Place with Independent Item

Means

N r r2 P- Value

None NES and SLI #1 Scripture 84 .240* 5.8% .028

None NES and SLI #2 Prayer 84 .281** 7.9% .010

Attribution NES and SLI #8 Seek God’s Answers in Tough Times 84 .224* 5.0% .040

Babcock 126


NES and SLI #25 God—Forgiveness 84 .255* 6.5% .019

NES and SLI #31 Holy Spirit in Life 84 .345** 11.9% .001 Relationship

to God NES and SLI #21 Solitude with

God 84 .303** 9.2% .005

NES and SLI #22 Local Church source of Spiritual Life 84 .269* 7.2% .013 Church

NES and SLI #28 Church—Nourishes Relationship with God 84 .243* 5.9% .026

NES and SLI #10 Call to Ministry 84 .289** 8.4% .008 Vocation NES and SLI #32 Call—Sustains

my Ministry 84 .235* 5.5% .031 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone. Tables 4.18 and 4.19 present the significant correlations and mean score changes

for the semi-structured interviews administered to currently enrolled students. As these

are current students, no NES Place 5 (graduates) mean scores exist. The variables

represent the twenty-five coded items used to interpret the transcribed taped interviews

(see Appendix L). The first eleven items and number 25 are present in these two tables.

The remaining coded items (12-24) are presented in the final section of this chapter as

they seek to measure the impact of NES on the growth or change measured.

Table 4.18

Correlation of NES Place with Current Student Interviews

Variables N r r2 p

1 View of God 53 .482** 23.2% .000

2 View of Church 53 .364** 13.2% .007

Babcock 127


3 View of Ministry 53 .517** 26.7% .000

4 View of Self 53 .393** 15.4% .004

5 View of Spiritual Disciplines 53 .604** 36.5% .000

6 View of Family and Other Relationships 53 .283* 8.0% .040

7 View of Call to Ministry 53 .283* 8.0% .040

9 God Involved in Daily Life 53 .733** 53.7% .000

10 God Involved in Church 53 .287* 8.2% .037

25 Overall Spiritual Well-Being 53 .741** 54.9% .000

* 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone.

Table 4.19

Changes in Student Interview Scores across NES Place

Semi-Structured Interview Coded Item

NES 1 n=24

NES 2 n=8

NES 3 n=8

NES 4 n=21

Change

% Change

View of God Mean Score

SD

2.4 .92

2.8 -

3.3 .71

3.3 .91

.9

37.5%

View of Church Mean Score

SD

1.5 .66

2.3 -

1.9 1.2

2.3 1.1

.8

53.3%

View of Ministry Mean Score

SD

1.8 .92

1.6 -

2.9 .99

3.1 1.1

1.3

72.2%

View of Self Mean Score

SD

2.5 .83

3.0 -

3.3 1.2

3.3 .96

.8

32.0%

View of Spiritual Disciplines Mean Score

SD

1.5 .78

2.5 -

2.5 1.4

3.1 1.0

1.6

106.7%

View of Family and Other Relationships Mean Score

SD

2.0 .91

2.6 -

2.0 1.3

2.7 1.1

.7

35.0%

View of Call to Ministry Mean Score

SD

2.3 .76

2.4 -

2.9 .99

2.9 .96

.6

26.1%

God Involved in World Events Mean Score

SD

1.1 .45

1.4 -

1.9 .99

1.4 .73

.3

27.0%

God Involved in Daily Life Mean Score

SD

2.4 .77

3.5 -

3.0 1.1

3.8 .40

1.4

58.3%

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God’s Role in Others Faith Group Mean Score

SD

1.1 1.1

1.0 -

1.4 1.4

1.5 1.4

.4

36.0%

God Involved in Church Mean Score

SD

1.2 .72

1.3 -

1.4 .74

1.8 1.2

.6

50.0%

Overall Spiritual Well-Being Mean Score

SD

2.4 .54

3.1 -

3.2 .92

3.7 .44

1.3

54.2%

Ten of the twelve coded items on this section of the semi-structured interviews

correlated significantly and positively with NES place. Five of the correlations were at

the .000 level, and the others were at or below the .05 level. No statistically significant

increase occurred between means of the remaining two items across NES Place. The

lowest percent of numerical increase in the means from NES Place 1 to NES Place 4 was

26 percent. The correlation factors were much higher on this instrument than on the SGI

or SLI. The percent of variability in the measured growth that is attributable to NES

alone ranges from 8 percent up to 55 percent. In order of their strength of correlation, the

coded items are Spiritual Well-Being, God in Daily Life, Spiritual Disciplines, View of

Ministry, View of God, View of Self, View of Church, God Involved in Church, View of

Relationship, and Call to Ministry.

Specific Locations of Significant Change in the Students’ PSF Profiles across NES

Place

Anova analyses along with Bonferroni Post Hoc Tests were done on each scale

and on selected items within scales to determine where the significant changes took place

across the curriculum. In this analysis, NES Places 1-5 served as the independent

variable. The subscale variables that had significant correlation to NES were input one at

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a time as the dependent variable. In utilizing this process, I was able to determine the

points at which significant change occurred along NES Place. The level of Anova

significance is shown for each scale.

As displayed in Table 4.20, the significant changes in mean scores occurred

between NES Places 1 and 5 in all seven subscales on the SGI and SLI instruments where

significant change took place. In seven other tested items the significant change occurred

between NES Places 1 and 4. While the means scores increased between NES Places 1,

3, and 4, in most cases this change was not statistically significant. Between NES Places

1 and 3, no statistically significant changes appeared.

Table 4.20

Points at Which Significant Growth Occurred across NES Place

Variables Scales and Selected Items

P- Value Anova Significance

Level

Bonferroni Post Hoc Tests (NES Place)

God Scale (SGI) .033 (1, 3, 4)-5*

Others Scale (SGI) .014 (1, 3, 4)-5

Self Scale (SGI) .001 (1, 3)-(4, 5)

Ministry Scale (SGI) .000 (1, 3)-(4, 5)

Personal Disciplines Scale .000 (1, 3)-4

Corporate Disciplines Scale .001 (1, 3)-5 & 3-5

God Scale (SLI) .115

Vocation Scale (SLI) .022 (1, 3, 4)-5

Scripture Scale (SLI) .018 (1, 3, 4)-5

Church Scale (SL1) .059 (1, 3, 4)-5

Prayer (SLI #2) .017 (1, 3)-(4, 5)

Call (SLI #10) .045 (1, 3, 4)-5

Holy Spirit (SLI #31) .028 (1, 3, 4)-5

Love of God (SGI #10) .011 (1, 3)-(4, 5)

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God Active Personal Life (SGI #12) .032 (1-3)-(4, 5)

Disciplined Prayer Life (SGI #28) .016 (1-3)-(4, 5)

*NES Place groups in parentheses show no significant difference. Significant differences occur between groups outside parentheses or between two groups of parentheses.

The Impact of Additional Independent Variables of Mean Score Changes

Table 4.21 presents the results of statistical analysis using each of the

demographic variables collected as the independent variable to determine if any

correlation could be established between them and the instrument subscales. Prior

Seminary, Gender, Degree (MDiv-MA), Ministry (Pastor-Lay), Age (in ten-year

categories), and Education Level (prior academic work) were each analyzed.

Table 4.21

Correlation of NES Place with Demographic Variables

Variables N r r2 p

Education Background with Relationship to God (SGI) 85 .219 4.8% .044

Education Background with Relationship to Self (SGI) 85 .223 4.9% .040

Ministry Position with Relationship to Ministry (SGI) 85 .298 8.9% .006 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone.

Educational Background correlated significantly at the .05 level and positively

with the SGI Relationship with God and Relationship with Self scales. Higher education

levels (B.A., Masters, etc.) were indicated by a higher numeric value (1-5). A numeric

value of one on educational background indicated a student without an accredited B.A.

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degree, and a numeric value of five indicated students with a Ph.D. or other terminal

degree (see Appendix K). The higher the prior educational level the significantly higher

the scores were on these two SGO subscales.

The SGI sub scale Relationship to Ministry correlated significantly with the

Ministry variable (Lay or Pastor) indicating that those designating themselves as full-

time or tentmaker pastors (numeric value of 2 or 3) scored higher on this scale than Lay

persons (numeric value of 1).

No other correlations were found using Prior Seminary, Gender, Degree, or Age

as the independent variable in place of NES Place.

Other Points of Significant Correlation among Dependent Variables

A number of dependent variable significant correlations were found in the study

as depicted in Appendix S. The data does not demonstrate whether one of these is the

cause of growth and the other the effect as in the case of NES Place. They all correlated

significantly (.000) and positively across NES Place. The mean scores on each pair

increased together. The positive strength (p-value) of the correlation was high, ranging

between .450 and .800. These findings would not display in table form, so they were

converted to a Microsoft Excel document and included as Appendix S.

What Aspects of the Spiritual Formation Curriculum Can Be Correlated to These

Changes?

In this section I present data from the final two sections of the semi-structured

interviews. In these portions of the students’ verbal responses, answers were coded with

regard to NES’ role and influence on the self-reported growth. In addition, six

intervening variables were coded as to their influence on the reported growth/change.

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Among these variables were the non-NES influences of the students’ current ministries,

friends and family, and intrapersonal issues. The impacts of the seminary program in

general and of the PSF curriculum in particular were also coded.

Tables 4.22 and 4.23 record the means and correlation of the students’ evaluations

of NES’ impact on their views in seven specific areas of spiritual and personal growth as

they moved through the NES program. Each of the mean scores correlated significantly

and positively at the .000 level with strong “r” scores. In order of the strength of their

correlation, they were the students’ view of God, view of ministry, value of spiritual

disciplines, view of family and other relationships, and their view of the Church. As NES

Place would be expected to be “1,” I filtered this out and ran an additional analysis. This

time, only View of Ministry correlated significantly (p= .009) and positively (r = .425)

with the remaining NES Places (2-4).

Table 4.22

Correlation of NES Place with Current Students’ View of the Impact of NES

Variables N r r2 p

Seminary impact on View of God 53 .808** 65.3% .000

Seminary impact on View of Church 53 .596** 35.5% .000

Seminary impact on View of Ministry 53 .779** 60.7% .000

Seminary impact on View of Self 53 .705** 49.7% .000

Seminary impact on View of Spiritual Discipline 53 .762** 58.1% .000 Seminary impact on View of Family & Other Relationships 53 .664** 44.1% .000

Seminary impact on View of Call 53 .722** 52.1% .000 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed). r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone.

In Table 4.23, the percent of change within mean scores is figured from NES

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Place 2 through NES Place 4 to measure growth/change once in seminary. Means scores

still increased between 30 percent and 73 percent after filtering out NES Place 1. In

descending order based on the percentage of mean score change, the list reads as follows:

View of Ministry, View of Spiritual Disciplines, View of God, View of Call to Ministry,

View of Church, View of Self, and View of Family and Relationships.

Table 4.23

The Influence of NES on Self-Reported Growth (Current Student Interviews)

Item Number and Subject 1 (n=24)

2 (n=8)

3 (n=8)

4 (n=21)

Change from NES 2

up to Graduation

% of Change

2-4

12 God 1.0 2.6 2.9 3.3 1.3 50%

13 Church 1.0 2.1 2.0 2.8 .8 38%

14 Ministry 1.0 1.5 2.8 3.1 1.1 73%

15 Self 1.0 2.9 3.1 2.9 .9 31%

16 Spiritual Discipline 1.0 2.6 2.1 3.5 1.5 58%

17 Family Relationships 1.0 2.0 1.9 2.6 .6 30%

18 Call 1.0 1.9 2.6 2.8 .8 42%

Table 4.24 presents the means scores of the NES Alumni one and two years after

completing their seminary degrees. The goal here was to attempt a snapshot of the

spiritual condition of graduates to determine if growth during NES was sustained once

outside the direct influence of the PSF program. Responses were coded on a four-point

Likert scale of 4 = Significantly Strong, 3 = Strong, 2 = Weak, and 1 = None Present

(see Appendixes M and N).

Six of these eight purported indicators of spiritual health had means scores in the

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Significantly Strong to Strong range. As these are single point indicators, no correlation

appears with other scores.

When arranged in descending mean score order, these are “Sense of God,”

“Enthusiasm for/Continued Active Participation in Christian Ministry,” “Evidence of

Ongoing, Personal Spiritual Well-Being/Absence of Signs of Burnout,” “Evidence of

Balance Between Personal, Family, Ministry Involvement,” “Personal sense of being

where God wants them to be,” and “Awareness of Healthy/Constructive Dealing with

Intra-Personal Issues.” Two related categories (“Practice of Spiritual Disciplines” and

“Personal Relationships for Accountability/Spiritual Formation”) had mean scores in the

“Weak” to “None Present” range respectively.

Table 4.24

Personal and Spiritual Formation Measures of Graduates (Graduate Interviews)

Interview Coded Number & Item Description NES Place 5

1 Evidence of ongoing, personal spiritual well-being/absence of signs of burnout 3.6

2 Enthusiasm for/continued active participation in Christian Ministry 3.7

3 Practice of spiritual disciplines 2.2

4 Evidence of “balance” between personal, family, ministry involvement 3.4

5 “Sense of God” 3.8

6 Personal sense of being where God wants them to be 3.4

7 Personal relationships for accountability/spiritual formation 1.6

8 Awareness of healthy/constructive dealing with intra-personal issues 3.4

In Tables 4.25 and 4.26, the influence of six intervening variables on the students’

sense of growth prior to enrollment (NES Place 1) and then through the NES experience

is evidenced. With the mean score as the indicator of the students’ perceived strength of a

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particular variable, Tables 4.25 and 4.26 trace the changes from NES Places 1 to 5.

Three of the six variables correlated significantly with NES Place at the .000 level

(see Table 4.26). Two of these correlated positively, and one, the impact of intrapersonal

issues, correlated negatively. The influence of the seminary experience in general and the

PSF program in particular showed a 260 percent and 300 percent increase respectively.

The impact of the students’ current ministry on their growth remained the same while the

impact of family declined by 5 percent.

Table 4.25

Influences on Growth Across NES Place (Current Student Interviews)

Item Number /Variable NES 1 (n=24)

NES 2 (n=8)

NES 3 (n=8)

NES 4 (n=21)

Change

% Change

19 Seminary in General 1.0 3.4 3.4 3.6 +2.6 260%

20 PSF 1.0 2.6 3.0 4.0 +3.0 300%

21 Ministry 1.8 1.3 1.3 1.8 0 0%

22 Family 1.9 1.4 1.4 1.8 -.1 -5%

23 Friends 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.7 +.5 42%

24 Self 2.8 2.1 2.0 1.9 -.9 -32%

Table 4.26

Correlation of NES Place with Influences on Growth (Current Student Interviews)

Variables N r r2 p

Impact of Seminary (General) on Growth/Change 53 .819** 67.1% .000

Impact of PSF on Growth/Change 53 .887** 78.7% .000


Impact of intrapersonal issues on Growth/Change 53 -.384** 14.7% .000 * 0.05 (2 tailed). ** 0.01 (2 tailed).

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r2 The percentage of the variability in growth attributed to NES Place alone.

A clearer picture is seen of the change in these intervening variables in Tables

4.27 and 4.28. In rank order starting with NES Place 1, Table 4.27 shows that enrolled

students ranked intrapersonal issues (self-reflection, etc.) as the most significant

influence on their spiritual growth prior to entering seminary. The influence of family,

current ministry involvement, and friends ranked second through fourth.

By the second and third years of study (NES Place 4), the students’ perceived

strength of the variables’ influence has changed. As seen in Table 4.28, the PSF program

followed by the seminary experience, in general, ranked one and two.

Table 4.27

Strength of Intervening Variables on Spiritual Growth Prior to Seminary (Rank Order)

Item Number /Variable NES 1

(n=24)

24 Self 2.8

22 Family 1.9

21 Ministry 1.8

23 Friends 1.2

19 Seminary in General 1.0

20 PSF 1.0

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Table 4.28

Strength of Intervening Variables on Spiritual Growth in the Second and Third Years of NES (Rank Order)

Coded Item Number / Intervening Variable

NES 4 (n=21)

20 PSF 4.0

19 Seminary in General 3.6

24 Self 1.9

21 Ministry 1.8

22 Family 1.8

23 Friends 1.7

Finally, when NES alumni were asked to reflect on the seminary’s impact from

the point of view of one and two years after graduation, they ranked the PSF program, the

integrated Core Curriculum, and the Cohort base structure as the top three aspects (see

Table 4.29). The overall continuing sense of the value of the graduates’ NES experience

had highest overall mean score. Field Education received the lowest rating of influence.

However, nineteen of the first twenty-five graduates took the Master of Art degree which

at the time did not require Field Education.

Table 4.29

Graduate Students’ Evaluation of NES Program Impact on Their Life and Ministry (Rank Order)

Interview Number & Item

(Scale 1=None to 4 =Significant)

NES Place 5

15 Overall/General sense of the value of NES after graduation 3.7

9 PSF program 3.4

11 Cohort: Relationships developed with fellow students 3.4

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10 Core: Classical integrated approach to study Scripture, theology, Church, “connectedness” with historical Church 3.2

12 Faculty and/or staff 2.9

14 Diversity of student body 1.6

13 Field Education 1.1

Additional Sources of Data Considered in This Study

Appendixes P, Q, R, and S display a sample of other data gathered from NES

students through regular times of program assessment and from graduating student exit

interviews. The data collected from these resources continues to show that students give

NES high marks for its innovative and integrated approach to theological education and

its emphasis on personal and spiritual formation. As seen in Appendix Q, on a Likert

scale of 1-7 (7 = High), the 2001 graduating class (n=20) rated every aspect of their NES

program between 6.3 and 6.9. On the Personal Growth Assessment measure, scores

ranged from 5.8 to 6.6. In rank order, starting with highest level of growth assessment,

the reported list reads as follows: Overall Faith in God, Knowledge of Christian Doctrine,

Spiritual Formation, Self-Disciplines and Focus, Understanding Your Own Spiritual

Gifts and Abilities, Understanding the Needs of Others, and Strength of Spiritual Life.

Aspects of this data will be integrated in Chapter 5.

A Summary of the Major Findings

NES students begin seminary during a period of spiritual growth and change in

their relationship with God, self, others, and ministry. While best termed moderate, the

scores do give evidence of a growing spiritual life rather than a static one. This

growth/change is occurring most notably in relationship to God and in the students’ sense

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of call to ministry. The least evidence of growth or strength is seen in regard to the

twelve classic spiritual disciplines (see Tables 4.1 p. 102, 4.6 p. 109, and 4.7 p. 113).

Entering students have a growing and positive relationship with their local church

bodies or denominations, and see them as a source of spiritual encouragement,

nourishment, and prayer (see Tables 4.1 p. 102, and 4.6 p. 109).

When asked to rate the influence of family, ministry, friends, or self-reflection on

personal and spiritual growth prior to arriving at NES, students rated self-reflection as the

greatest influence (item 24, see Table 4.7 p.113).

Seminarians demonstrated statistically significant positive levels of growth across

their time at NES in their relationships to God, ministry, self, and others. This significant

level of growth continued after graduation (see Tables 4.8 and 4.9 p.117).

Students also demonstrated statistically significant, positive growth in the

practice, appreciation, and value of spiritual disciplines (see Tables 4.10, and 4.11 p.119

and 4.12 p.120).

Descriptive statistics demonstrated positive growth at rates up to 27 percent in the

scales measuring the role of Scripture in personal and spiritual nurture (Scripture), the

sense of vocational call (Vocation), the role and value of the local church’s support

(Church), the ability to seek God in difficult circumstances (Attribution), the value and

use of prayer partners and spiritual friends, and a sense of being spiritually nourished

rather than drained (Spiritual Vitality) (see Table 4.14 p.121).

The findings from the semi-structured interviews affirmed the growth findings on

the two written assessment instruments (see Tables 4.18 and 4.19 pp. 126-27).

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Statistical analysis (Bonferroni Post Hoc Tests) placed the level of significant

growth as occurring between the point of enrollment and the students’ second or third

year of studies rather than during the Core experience (see Table 4.20 p. 129).

No influence on or relationships to growth were found when considering

students’ prior seminary experience, gender, age or major. Beyond NES Place, only

students’ prior education level was found to correlate with growth in any scale measured

(see Table 4.21 p.130).

The students’ seminary experience in general was shown to have a statistically

significant, positive impact on all personal areas measured in the semi-structured

interviews (see Table 4.22 p.132).

Out of six variables listed, students nearing the completion of their program rated

the PSF program and the seminary in general as the most significant influences on their

personal and spiritual growth by a large margin (see Tables 4.25 and 4.26 p.135).

The PSF program and the Cohort experience received the highest ratings when

graduates were asked to evaluate the impact of various aspects of the seminary program

on their lives and ministry (see Table 4.29 p.137).

The sense of value and importance of the NES experience remains high among

graduates one to two years after graduation (see Table 4.29 p.137).

Data gathered on assessment instruments outside of this study affirm the findings

of the three instruments used (see Appendixes P, Q, R, and S).

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CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Introduction

The limited purpose with which this study began was an evaluation of the

effectiveness of Northeastern Seminary’s attempt to address the personal and spiritual

needs of its students. Three separate instruments were employed across a period of nine

months to allow NES’ students and graduates to report their own perceptions of growth

or change in their personal and spiritual formation. Because of the size of the NES

student population, the test sample included all current full-time students and all twenty-

five NES graduates as of September 2001. In the end, 117 students and graduates had

responded, and over eighty hours of interviews had been taped to transcribe and evaluate.

In addition to these test instruments, data from several Graduating Student

Questionnaires were reviewed and compared.

As seen in Chapter 2, the issues surrounding the personal and spiritual formation

of seminary students has been debated in detail for over four decades at the highest

professional levels of theological education. While some progress has been noted in

recent decades, current literature indicates the verdict is still out on whether enough is yet

being done in this area of seminary studies. Recent results reported in the Association of

Theological Schools five-year review of the Graduating Student Questionnaire indicate

some encouraging changes in student perceptions of the spiritual impact of their seminary

years. At the same time the study of a major Canadian seminary in 2001 indicates not

much has changed from the 1960s through the 1990s where students reported devastating

effects of seminary on their spiritual life (Greenman and Siew 19).

Babcock 142

Northeastern Seminary’s spiritual and personal formation curriculum is seeking to

respond to the call for a seminary experience that provides not only for the rigorous

academic preparation of students but one that also nurtures the student’s personal walk

with God. NES’ classical approach to theological education in terms of its integrated

approach to curriculum design in the Core is making major strides to de-fragment

theological education. The heavy emphasis on creating community, through the use of

the cohort model, retreats, and faith-sharing groups, has sought to model a trinitarian

approach to ministry of mutuality and cooperation rather than a hierarchical and

competitive approach. Throughout the curriculum design, but particularly in the Core, the

emphasis is on developing the whole person for ministry while introducing students to

models of spirituality found throughout classic Christianity. The Faith-Sharing Group

model has encouraged participants to listen to and cooperate with what God is doing in

each other’s life. As students and facilitators enter into this hospitality of listening, they

are allowed to enter more intimately into relationships with one another.

The data collected in this study indicates that NES students not only appreciate

but are growing through this wholistic approach. A third year MDiv student in full-time

ministry speaks of his conversation with colleagues and discovering the benefits of NES’

unique approach:

I felt that I’ve gotten a good dose of a lot of different avenues of ministry—across the cultures, across the historical boundaries, from BC up through the present date—that I was surprised to get within such a short amount of time. I’ve talked with several who have been to different seminaries. The fact, again, that we’ve studies all the way up through the ages, not just about people but from their writings, and especially the fact that spiritual formation is taken seriously and added in, the courses on it, taking time in the middle of class for chapel, makes NES unique and even more beneficial. Most people assume that pastors always know how to do these things or have it ingrained; I’ve found them so beneficial in my daily

Babcock 143

life, so [NES is] not taken up with just function in the ministry.

Another student about to graduate comments on the integrated curriculum

approach and of finally being able to put together what before was always piecemeal.

The big time highlight had to be the Core and all that went with it—the four Core courses and the Faith-Sharing Group that kind of went parallel with each other. Even though I studied Religion and Philosophy as a major and minored in ministry at … [my college] for four years, I simply did not grasp church history, the birth and development of the church, theology, scripture, culture—all that stuff. I just could not grasp all that stuff in 4 years what I was able to grasp in that year or so in those 4 courses. To me, it was so incredibly beneficial to start at the beginning and take it all the way up through today and in each of the eras be looking at those five categories. It was such a wonderfully holistic approach that had so much integrity in terms of being able to look at intelligently from beginning to now. Before my experience had always been so piece meal.

In step with the 1972 and 1980 ATS studies report, NES is seeking to take

seriously the state of students’ spiritual life by reuniting spiritual formation with all

academic programs. The results from all three assessment instruments indicate that NES

is having a positive impact on the personal and spiritual formation of its student body.

This growth has been sustained among its alumni for the first two years after graduation.

I have singled out several areas of this study that highlight specific aspects of the PSF

initiatives at NES and then commented on the findings. Where appropriate I have

included verbatim comments from the student interviews to provide firsthand evidence of

the students’ appraisals. As these comments were made in the course of structured

interviews, no attempt has been made to correct grammar. They are presented in

conversational style as recorded.

Broad-based Changes in the PSF Student Profile

The NES student population tested demonstrated consistent and broad-based

growth in all areas covered in the institution’s Personal and Spiritual Formation

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objectives. Insofar as the instruments employed can be said to be a valid measure, the

PSF program and curriculum at NES are having the hoped-for impact on student spiritual

and personal growth during seminary and following graduation. The data presented in

Chapter 4 supports the conclusion of positive growth and, in many instances, statistically

significant growth in all the subscales employed.

Of the nine scales in the Spiritual Life Inventory (see Appendix J), growth, as

measured by changes in mean scores, ranged from 7 percent to 27 percent. Three SLI

scales correlated significantly and positively with NES Place (see Tables 4.13 and 4.14 p.

121). All four scales on the Spiritual Growth Inventory registered mean score growth

ranging between 14 percent and 28 percent. SGI mean scores on each of its four scales

correlated significantly and positively with NES Place (see Tables 4.8 and 4.9 p. 117).

These scales measured multiple aspects of students’ relationship with God, Others, Self,

and Christian Ministry. Data transcribed and coded from the semi-structured, open-ended

interview supports the growth findings from the written instruments (see Table 4.19 p.

127). In addition, independent assessment data from the NES Graduating Student

Questionnaire (see Appendix Q) corroborates the finding that NES students have a broad-

based sense of positive spiritual and personal growth.

The data from all three instruments demonstrated statistically significant growth

from the time the students entered NES up to and continuing after their graduation. In

every item measured, students reported having experienced positive growth and change

during their time at NES. A representative statement demonstrating this broad impact of

the seminary experience on its students personally and spiritually is found in the

following transcription from a female student in her final year. When asked to comment

Babcock 145

on the highlights of her NES experience, she spoke of relationship, forgiveness, hope,

faith, spiritual disciplines, and a new understanding and outlook on life.

Again, I would have to go back to the relationships. An internal struggle of trust—it’s even more than that. It’s coming to a point in my life where up until this point, okay, God forgives me, God forgives others. Yet in lip service I can forgive others, but it’s changed for me. It’s gone deeper and I’ve actually let go—one being letting go by forgiving myself for past things. By coming to that point and doing that—being able to take that next step in relationships and realize that there’s hope for humanity and there’s hope for me. I come back to the seminary experience—yet, I don’t want to say it’s just seminary. It certainly is guiding a lot of aspects of my life, but it goes much deeper than that. As I’m going through that seminary experience, my faith level is increasing. I’m spending more time in the Word, in prayer, spending more time in the disciplines.… Definitely, God has been opening my eyes to many things and is allowing me to see things within myself that I couldn’t see before and couldn’t address and see within the outside world.

Present in the representative reflection and the data is the antithesis of Alan

Jones’ concerns that the “one needful thing” is missing (19). NES students give solid

evidence of a growing relationship with God and a maturing sense of self and others.

The Students’ Relationship with God

Students entering NES do so at a point in their lives where they have evidenced a

considerable amount of spiritual and personal examination and change. The data in

Chapter 4 supports a conclusion that in the years preceding seminary enrollment the

student’s relationship with God is the area undergoing the most growth and change. The

seminarians’ view of God, love of God, trust in God, their confidence in God’s actions,

and their seeking God’s understanding of life’s events consistently record the highest

mean scores. Having been directly involved in the admissions process at NES for four

years, I am not surprised by the high scores on the entering students’ profiles with regard

to God. My own sense in dealing with those inquiring about and applying to seminary is

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that this period of growth with God is the catalyst that brought them to the point of

considering the need to prepare personally and professionally to respond to God and to

his call.

The students’ ratings of their relationship with God, confidence in God, sense of

God’s active presence, and love of God ranked the highest among all subscales means

(SGI 2.9 out of 4.0; SLI 3.5 out of 5.0) at the point of initial enrollment. The SLI’s

Attribution scale (3.6 out of 5.0) gives further evidence of a dynamic, dialogical

relationship with God as students seek spiritual answers to specific life events. As seen in

Tables 4.2 and 4.6 (pp. 101 and 107), the months leading up to a decision to enroll in

seminary are ones characterized by a growing trust in God’s presence in the world in

general (SGI, 3.1) and in the seminarian’s life in particular (SGI, 3.1). The semi-

structured, open-ended interview results lend support to this observation (see Table 4.7 p.

113). With a mean score of 2.4, the seminarians’ View of God along with the Awareness

of God’s Activities in Daily Life Situations ranked as the second highest areas of growth

at the point of entry. The results from all three instruments indicate that entering NES

students have a relationship with God that is growing, practical (impacting their lives and

decisions), and personal.

Growth in each of these areas continued up to and after graduation. Not

surprisingly, growth in Relationship with God did not increase in the same proportions as

other areas. With a mean score of 2.9 on a four-point scale and 3.5 on a five-point scale,

little room was left for statistically significant change to take place. Yet that was just

what happened. In similar spiritual measures given in church or church school settings,

researchers have run into what is called the “ceiling factor”—a phenomenon where most

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Christian students score at or near the top of the range. On both the SGI and the SLI

instruments, students recorded a 14 percent increase in their Relationship to God scores

across the NES time frames tested, and the final mean scores remained at or near the top

for all subscales measured. These changes were statistically significant, as well, at the .05

and .01 levels respectively.

Representative of student comments in this area is that of a third-year MDiv

student. In her answer given below, she described her growth with God in terms of a

new-found ability to be present with God wherever she is, regardless of her feelings.

Interestingly enough, recognizing the presence of God has probably sometimes been one of the most difficult things for me in the past 2-3 years—something that I kind of sought after and felt sort of a void, lack of at times, until again, through faith-sharing and through many of the other writings that we’ve been exposed to at NES. I began to understand it was not so much in God being present to me, but me practicing being present to God.

So over the last couple of years as I’ve been exposed to other ways to approach my relationship with God, other ways to practice spiritual discipline, I have come to know him in a different way, and I’ve come to know my relationship with him in a different way. I think that has helped me come to the idea that God is present with me everywhere, although I can’t sometimes feel him, and to really understand the spirituality that’s outside of feelings has been big in helping me to understand God in a new way. Regardless of what I feel like, God is still here.

Throughout the data statistics and observations consistently show that NES

students not only enter their seminary experience on a growth curve in their personal

relationship with God, but that growth is nurtured and maintained throughout the NES

experience and after graduation. This observation is further supported by external data

gathered as a normal part of the seminary’s assessment program. The NES Graduating

Student Questionnaire is given to each student prior to commencement. As seen in

Appendix Q, in May 2001 graduating students rated their growth in overall Faith in God

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and their Spiritual Formation at 6.6 and 6.1 respectively on a seven-point Likert scale. In

addition, they gave the seminary a rating of 6.4 with regard to achieving its spiritual and

personal formation goals and to their own satisfaction level with those goals and

objectives.

Students’ personal relationships to God are not tangential to their academic

studies at NES. The integrated curriculum that provides for and expects students to be

involved in spiritual as well as intellectual reflection appears to be accomplishing its

goals. Using F. Freeman’s words, NES students give every indication of having

“encountered God repeatedly in direct and partially describable ways” (81). This data is

not indicative of one who is missing a “deeply lived love relationship” to God (Hands

and Fehr 54-55). As such, NES graduates appear to be well prepared personally and

academically to share God’s transforming, sustaining, and empowering love with those in

need in their local congregations.

The scores on these measures contrast significantly with the finding of ATS

studies and those of Oswald. These self-evaluative measures indicate that rather than a

static faith or a loss of faith, NES students are experiencing strong and healthy levels of

growth as they progress through their studies. As seen on the instruments, these scores

represent students’ growth in areas dealing with

• a personal awareness of God’s love;

• a deepening acceptance of God in their lives;

• a deepening love of God;

• a growing confidence of God’s active presence in the world;

• a growing confidence of God’s active presence in their own lives;

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• a personal awareness of God’s forgiveness in times of failure;

• experiencing help from the Holy Spirit;

• experiencing God’s surprising intervention in life;

• a seeking of God’s direction and meaning in tough circumstances; and,

• a time set aside for renewing and strengthening their relationship with God.

Growth rates across these individual items within the subscale grew from 8

percent to 28 percent on the SGI and SLI. This was supported by related comments on

the SSI, where growth was between 27 percent and 58 percent on items dealing with

relationship to and awareness of God. The data, far from indicating seminary was a

spiritual dry time (Banks 200) where only 40 percent of students feel they are being

helped spiritually, indicate years rich with growth for the vast majority of NES students.

Pargament and Emmons have documented studies that link the strength of a

person’s spiritual life with the ability to cope with stress and with life satisfaction and

overall well-being. A. Headley also linked one’s intimacy with God to one’s sense of

fulfillment in ministry (15). If these relationships are true, then this data demonstrates

strong evidence that NES is providing students with the spiritual resources they will

need, not only to cope with the stress of ministry but to experience satisfaction along the

way.

Among Riggar’s characteristics of burnout are loss of energy and interest in one’s

job, a pervasive mood of anxiety leading to depression and despair, and an overall loss of

idealism, energy, and purpose (x). As one reads the transcribed interviews of NES

graduates, one finds no signs of these symptoms two years after graduation. Rather, on

items 1 and 2, which sought to measure the graduates’ ongoing spiritual well-being and

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continued enthusiasm for ministry (see Appendix J), NES graduates scored 3.6 and 3.7

respectively on a 4.0 Likert scale (see Table 4.24 p. 134). Smith’s observation that a deep

commitment to God is a key factor in effectively fulfilling one’s vocation is supported by

these findings. The graduates’ growing relationship with God appears to be carrying over

into their ministry when, at least two years later, none of the typical signs of burnout and

no lessening of enthusiasm for ministry are evident.

The Students’ Sense of Call to Christian Ministry

A second aspect of the entering students’ profiles is their sense of God’s call.

While many do not have a clearly defined sense of call to a specific ministry, they do

have a strong general sense that God is calling (see Tables 4.9 p.117 and 4.13 p. 121).

The second lowest individual item scores of entering students on the SGI was in the area

of a specific Call to Ministry (2.3 out of 4.0) while one of the highest (2.9) was recorded

for a general conviction that God was calling them to Christian ministry. The high mean

scores (3.8 and 3.6 out of 5.0) on the SLI’s Vocation subscale again indicates a strong

sense of call as students enter NES.

In this sense NES students follow the general entering profile of all ATS students.

While not covered in this project’s literature review, studies indicate that upwards of one-

third of students come to seminary to clarify their sense of God’s call (Parker 12).

At the other end of their seminary experience, the statistically significant, positive

growth data from the SLI Vocation scale and the SGI Ministry scale support the

conclusion that the NES experience is strengthening as well as helping to focus the

students’ sense of call to ministry. Students are leaving NES at graduation with a stronger

conviction of God’s call to ministry and a more focused view of what that ministry will

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be (see Tables 4.9 p. 117 and 4.14 p. 121).

Smith’s observations regarding those who effectively fulfill their vocation bears

significantly on these findings as well. If, indeed, a condition for effectiveness in ministry

is a clear sense of God’s call, then NES students appear to possess another key resource

for avoiding burnout and finding satisfaction in their ministry. The results of the

Graduate Interviews (see item 6, Appendix J) reveal that 12-24 months after graduation,

NES students give evidence of a significantly strong (3.8 out of 4.0) sense of being right

where God wants them to be. Their comments reveal no evidence of Denison’s haunting

question, “Is this all there is?” (104). On the contrary, a renewed and growing love for

God’s work is the typical testimony. The verbatim comments of a male MA student

nearing the end of his studies is representative of others who sensed that NES had helped

clarify their understanding of God’s call:

I would characterize [my sense of call to Christian ministry] as a combination of definite dealing and calling from the Lord in the sense of something being imposed on me from without. I was resistant to the call for a year or two early on, and was pretty miserable because of it. Since that time, there has been a fresh surrender to the Lord, and the sense of God’s call is now a growing awareness and branching out of the tree. I can think of the call in those kinds of terms. As we go on, as we live our lives, the calling expresses itself in different ways. You branch out and also concentrate on it as well. I would characterize the later stage a growing awareness.… I see that as never before, that I am called to the pastorate. I would attribute that directly to going back to school.

Another MDiv student finishing his third year spoke of having his call affirmed

and falling back in love with the church through his experience at NES:

I’m called to be a pastor. It came about by just having an encounter with the Holy Spirit a number of years ago. But there was a time just going through the normal struggles in the last 2 years where that call was held in doubt. Through seminary it has been reconfirmed—by interacting with my professors, the material. I tell people that in the last 3 years, I’ve fallen back in love with the church again. I was coming out of my 6th or 7th year

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of ministry, kind of burned out.. . I remember meeting with my advisor and talking about switching to education. It was a life-transforming experience, and I’ve totally fallen back in love with my call.

NES Students and the Classical Spiritual Disciplines

A third element in Smith’s formula for effectiveness is what he calls a “clear

discipline in lifestyle and behavior” (84). Wesley admonished his young preacher to the

discipline of Scripture and spiritual reading (254). Augustine’s insightful conclusion that

he “must search through all the remedies Scriptures contain, and give myself to prayer

and reading,” again addresses this need of spiritual disciplines (qtd. in St. John 95).

Within the practice of these and other spiritual disciplines, Christian leaders nurture their

relationship to God and find themselves in places where God can and does address

himself to the circumstances of one’s life and ministry. The value of these spiritual

disciplines is attested to by twenty centuries of church history.

While the SLI’s Spiritual Vitality scale shows growth across NES Place (3.1-3.3)

and starts off relatively strong (3.1 on a 5 point scale), those disciplines which classically

have nourished spiritual health and growth do not demonstrate a strong or sustained

growth (see Table 4.14 p. 121).

The overall picture of the entering class is that of individuals with little growth in

and perhaps little exposure to a number of the classic spiritual disciplines in the years

preceding NES (see Table 4.4 p. 106). Most of the lowest scores across all three

instruments were recorded in relationship to the value and practice of the twelve classic

spiritual disciplines. Taken individually and collectively in two subscales, all but two

mean scores were at or under 2.3. These low scores could reflect not only the absence of

growth, but also a lack of acquaintance with, or an absence of, practice of a number of

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these classic disciplines. For example, mean scores for Fasting (1.4) and Journaling (1.6)

were at levels that may support a conclusion that students used a response of “1” to report

no growth and/or the non-existence of these disciplines within their practice. This is

further supported by the lack of evidence found in student comments in the interviews to

support a notion that growth was taking place in their view of the role of spiritual

disciplines as seen in a mean score of 1.5.

Worship, Service, and the Study of Scripture represented the individual high

mean scores, but only Service ranked closer to “Strong Growth” (2.6 out of 3) than to

“Some Growth.” I was not surprised to find that Meditation, Solitude, and Celebration

are also in the 2.0 range, as two of these are not common practices in many evangelical

churches. NES’ student body does not draw heavily from the high church traditions,

where these disciplines would more likely be part of the common language and practice.

The encouraging news is the growth seen during enrollment at NES tempered

with the fact that all averages are still low even after growth. Unlike subscale scores that

continued to grow after graduation, four of the spiritual discipline scores dropped, and

two others leveled out. Fasting and Journaling scored the lowest among entering students

(1.4 and 1.6), demonstrated growth during and after the students’ seminary experience

(2.3-2.0), but remained the lowest mean scores respectively (see Tables 4.11 p. 119 and

4.12 p. 120). In point of fact, the practice of Journaling declined 23 percent after

graduation (2.6-2.0). Several observations may be credibly based on this data. One is that

despite the frequent requirement for students to maintain spiritual journals during their

time at NES, this is not seen as an effective means of spiritual nourishment and,

therefore, is practiced only grudgingly. Another is that students see this as a time-

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consuming and labor-intensive practice, though valued, and find it the easiest to neglect

in the crunch of time. This latter explanation may well be one for the large drop off in

practice of at least journaling, once out of school. A third explanation may be that NES

has not made an adequate case for the practical and spiritual value of these disciplines;

therefore, they are practiced only as far as required during seminary and then become

optional afterwards.

Only Celebration, Worship, and Service had mean scores above 3.0. A discipline

in which students demonstrated little growth at entry is Celebration. Here we find a

strong growth pattern and one that continues after graduation. In each of these instances,

I have assumed that the growth is not only a reflection of individual practice but of

understanding and appreciation of the discipline itself. The case could be made that

students would practice a discipline that they did not particularly appreciate or see

beneficial because of a curricular requirement (earning a grade). However, these scores

indicate that the practice continues at levels higher than entry even after external

motivation is removed.

The statistically significant growth in the two subscales indicates that NES is

accomplishing part of its goal in this aspect of the formation curriculum, and the evidence

from the current student interviews tends to offset some initial levels of concern. The SSI

mean score on item #5, which seeks to measure growth in the students’ view of the role

of spiritual disciplines in their lives, moves from near nonexistence (1.5) to near

significant levels across the NES years (3.1; Table 4.19 p. 125). However, in the graduate

interviews, evidence for the practice of Spiritual Disciplines takes another hit (2.2) along

with evidence for relationships for personal accountability and spiritual formation (1.6;

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see Table 4.24 p. 134).

A male MDiv graduate commented on the spiritual discipline documents that

some impact has been made by the exposure provided at NES. When given the

opportunity to reflect on changes in his life, he highlighted the practice of prayer and

fasting:

Prayer and fasting as a discipline—those have become much more important and active in my life. Part of the change was just some learning through readings, and also a re-prioritizing of my schedule. Part of the change was also beginning to practice and seeing some positive results. Part of it was the leading of the Holy Spirit, but also part of it was the things I just mentioned. Reading and learning, intentional choices on my part, desire to grow closer to God and to begin a new direction of experience and growth.

For presentation at the 2002 NES Commencement Dinner (see Appendix P), one

graduate wrote,

The greatest gift NES has given me is the conciliation that I must attend to my personal spiritual formation. Although NES did a stellar job in preparing me for the visible lines of pastoral ministry—preaching, teaching, administration—the true heritage for me has been the preparation for, and attention to, the invisible lines of ministry—prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction.

Further research is needed here to determine what in fact is happening. This data

raises at least three questions for further investigation, one of which can be asked of all

the data. Are these findings valid or does the fault lie with the instruments? If these

scores are valid, what are the implications for students who rate their sense of spiritual

formation high yet who do not appear to be practicing the classical means of nurturing

that formation? What do the presence of conflicting data and the persistence of low

scores really indicate in regards to the practice and value NES students assign these

classic means of spiritual growth? Tracking these practices across time will also help in

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determining whether this pattern reflects a lessening of value placed on these disciplines

or simply periodic compromises based on immediate scheduling pressures.

Courage and Confidence in Taking a Stand

Students are graduating from NES with a stronger understanding of who they are

in Christ, how the Bible addresses issues in their life and the lives of others and have a

growing courage and conviction to stand up for their convictions regardless of the

circumstances. Data from the Relationship to Self scale (SGI) documents significant

growth in all ten subscale items related to these issues (see Table 4.15 p. 123). Among

the interesting findings is the level of growth reported in the students’ sense of

confidence and courage. Three aspects of confidence and courage are measured: the

students’ sense of self-confidence and courage in speaking up for their convictions in the

religious communities, the secular communities, and in the face of opposition. The

entering profile of students shows each of these items had mean scores of 2.3, 2.4, and

2.4 respectively (see Table 4.2 p. 103). An additional comment can be added that came

from observations while transcribing and coding the taped interviews. In general, the

verbal responses from entering students were shorter and less spiritually articulate than

responses given by students well into their studies. From the Core on, student comments

were generally longer and more articulate when giving spiritual explanations of their

experiences. An observation derived from combining the entering scores and the quality

of responses on the interviews could indicate a lack of confidence and courage that

stemmed from not knowing how to adequately express or defend their faith position.

Once in seminary, the mean scores for each of these items (SGI items 24, 25, and

26) correlated significantly and positively with NES place (see Table 4.15 p. 123). The

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longer students were in seminary, the stronger were their self-confidence and courage.

This growth also continued after graduation. A male MA student at the point of

graduation commented on the impact of the seminary on his lifelong struggle with self-

image and confidence:

I think that definitely God has always been there, I’ve just been blind to it much of the time. The last few years I’ve come to appreciate where he is in my life on a daily basis.… One of the things I’ve always struggled with is self-image and self-confidence. Over the last couple of years, I’ve really worked hard at coming to understand and truly believe that the validation of myself comes from God and not others.… My faith walk has changed with the seminary experience, and my knowledge and awareness of my faith.

A key aspect of successful leadership in any arena of ministry is confidence. A

spiritual leader, lay or ordained, must be able to effectively articulate the reasons for the

hope within and have the courage and confidence to do so. In the face of a conflict of

kingdom values, today’s Christian leader needs to know what is truth and have the

wisdom and courage to stand for it.

These findings support an observation that NES students and graduates are

growing in this crucial aspect of effective leadership. The previous data on God’s call is

applicable here as well. A strong and clear sense of having one’s ministry undergirded by

a divine calling strengthens one’s sense of courage and confidence in ministry.

Observations on Where the Significant Change Is Occurring

This research began with the assumption that measurements across the Core

would provide the best measure of curriculum impact. This was assumed because the

impact of intervening variables could best be controlled during the fourteen months

students were in a Cohort and studying the same material. The expectation was that

because of the focus and intensity of the student experience during this time, if growth

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was to occur it would be between Entry (NES Place 1) and the end of the Core (NES

Place 3). Growth was desired across the entire seminary curriculum (NES Place 1 to

Place 4), but the Core presented the strongest possibility of finding measurable change as

the project began.

As seen in Table 4.20 (p. 127), while growth patterns are generally upward,

except where noted on the Spiritual Life Inventory, no statistically significant growth

took place between NES Places 1 and 3. When Bonferroni Post-Hoc tests were run, the

significant change was found to occur between NES Places 1 and 4 or NES Places 1 and

5. Growth between Places 1-3 and 4-5 was not statistically significant. The significant

growth anticipated between the beginning and the end of the Core occurred later in the

curriculum than anticipated.

The numerical dip on the SLI that occurs consistently at NES Place 4 (during the

second or third year) might be interpreted as supporting the initial expectation of NES

Place 3 being a high point (see Table 4.14 p. 121). However, the data from the SGI and

the semi-structured interviews do not follow this pattern. In fact, in the SGI the numerical

growth rate appears somewhat minimal across the Core and then jumps at the end of

years two and three and again after graduation (see Table 4.9 p. 117). The Bonferroni

Post-Hoc tests confirmed this pattern statistically. This pattern is also not true in the

subscale of spiritual disciplines, where the significant growth/change is between NES

Places 1 and 4 or 1 and 5.

A possible explanation for this pattern of growth might be called the percolating

or germination theory. This personal theory holds that while the Core does not initially

appear to dramatically impact change in many areas of students’ lives, it is in fact a time

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of placing ground coffee in the percolator or of seed planting. A period of time needs to

pass before the coffee percolates or the seed germinates. Sometime during students’

second or third year, the processing (percolating/germination) is complete and the impact

of the instruction and experience is realized in students’ lives. The Core therefore may

still be the major focal point of the NES curriculum, but the full impact of it needs to be

processed and implemented across the next several months before it is fully owned and

growth can be measured. Further studies will need to be done to test the validity of this

theory and to see whether future students experience growth at these same junctures.

Because the SLI has been tested and used previously and the SGI and SSI have

not, the SLI’s pattern of growth may warrant some additional attention. In addition, the

structure of the PSF curriculum and the delivery of the NES curriculum, in general,

during this second and third year are substantially different than during the Core.

Undocumented and unquantifiable comments from students seem to indicate that the

second and third year, though still involving only one night a week, are more strenuous

from the standpoint of managing the expectations of three to four separate courses and

professors. Coursework after the Core is more traditional in many ways including the fact

that students are no longer in cohorts. With the breakup of the cohort, the Faith-Sharing

Group also undergoes change. The group no longer has the focused ninety minutes every

other week but rather a more periodic sharing time built into the peer reflection

component of field education. With these program differences along with the higher

potential of validity of the SLI, some additional questions might be considered in future

studies.

• Does the pattern repeat itself?

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• If so, does the workload after the Core impact this apparent leveling out of

growth?

• Does the curriculum content and structure in general, or the PSF components

in particular, contribute to this phenomenon after the Core?

An encouraging aspect of these growth patterns is that on all instruments the

growth continues after graduation with the exception of spiritual disciplines as already

noted. This significant sense of ongoing spiritual growth is, in fact, just what the experts

in burnout prevention say is needed. At the top of Oswald’s list of coping strategies is the

impact of personal spiritual formation (New 22). The uniform evidence of growth in all

four areas of relationships (with God, self, others, and ministry) is a healthy sign of

balanced growth that is producing positive change in all areas of life.

What Influenced the Students’ Personal and Spiritual Growth?

A more difficult area to tackle is that of attributing cause to the effects that have

been measured in this study. The data consistently supports the conclusion that

significant personal and spiritual growth is occurring during and following students’

enrollment. However, to conclude that it is all because they are enrolled at NES is a bit

presumptuous. This growth might have occurred anyway, apart from NES programs and

curriculum. This study began with recognizing that within the population being studied

were numerous intervening variables that could and would impact the students’ lives

while attending NES. The impact of age, gender, education, ministry, major and prior

seminary experience were easier to analyze than others. One by one, these six were

filtered out and analyzed as part of the correlation studies. While some small numerical

variances can be found as reported in Chapter 4, the variables of age, gender, degree

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program, and prior seminary experience failed to correlate significantly with any

instrument subscale. These variables had no statistical influence on the rates of growth

found in the data. In other words, older students did not score higher in any of the

subscales than younger students. Male students did not score higher in these scales than

female seminarians. Whether a student was in the MA or MDiv program had no

significant impact on the changes noted.

The students’ prior education level did have a statistically significant relationship

with the SGI’s Relationship to God and Relationship to Self scales, indicating that the

higher one’s education, the higher the mean scores were in those two scales. The fact that

a student was already involved in pastoral ministry or was in lay ministry did correlate

significantly and positively with the SGI Relationship to Ministry scale. This meant that

seminarians who were involved in ordained pastoral ministry scored higher on the

ministry scale than those in lay ministry. If truly up to one-third of seminarians go to

school to clarify their call, then one would suppose that the vast majority of these would

be among the lay ministers. The assumption is that those who are ordained and pastors

have a more defined call and would be more likely to score higher on questions related to

a specific call and to investing oneself passionately in ministry. The higher education

correlation is an interesting one on which to speculate. Without being able to identify the

type of school or the majors involved, the exact cause of the higher scores in these areas

is difficult to determine. If these higher degrees were confirmed to be in Religion or from

Christian schools, some different conclusions might be drawn. With the current data,

however, the logical conclusion is that the more a person knows, the more open he or she

tends to be to God and the more self-confidence and courage he or she possesses. No

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significant correlation shows with any other scale, indicating that these two variables

may also be eliminated as factors causing growth in the mean scores during the time

frame tested except as just noted.

The remaining variables were not as easy to filter out. The influence of friends,

family, ministry, and self-reflection are tangible variables with intangible impact. To

filter for these, the study relied solely on the student self-reports. During the interview,

students were asked a follow up question in which they were to identify any events or

issues that influenced or precipitated the changes they reported. In the final question,

students and graduates were asked to note some highlights of their NES experience.

Through these two means, data was coded that sought to track the impact of friends,

family, ministry, self, or NES on the growth that had taken place. Tables 4.26 and 4.27

(pp. 133 and 134) show the changes that were evident among these variables from

enrollment to graduation. Two of these variables correlated positively with NES place.

The first demonstrates that the longer students were in seminary, the higher the reported

influence of the seminary in general and the PSF program in particular on their growth.

The second correlated as significant but negative. This correlation statistically

demonstrated that the longer students were in seminary, the lower was the reported

influence of their own self-reflection or other intrapersonal issues. In saying this I now

sense that a series of questions where the student directly rated the influence of each of

these variables at each juncture would give more validity to these findings.

According to the correlation charts of Chapter 4, statistically speaking those

percentages (see r2) of the variability in change/growth can be credited to the influence of

the seminary alone. While these percentages are in most cases not large, they still are

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statistically verifiable and show NES is having a positive impact.

All these factors continue to interplay with the spiritual and personal lives of

seminary students and none can be excluded unless only for a specific time. What this

data does seem to show is that the seminary’s influence grows over the time students

attend and does appear to have a major role in affecting positive spiritual change.

Running slightly ahead of the impact of the seminary in general is the PSF program in

particular. Comments on SSI items cited above continue to highlight the influence of

faith-sharing groups, chapel, readings, and retreats along with the impact of the Cohort

model, the curriculum structure, and the spiritual lives of faculty and staff. Exit

evaluations for two years support the findings of the influential role of the seminary in

general and the Core in particular (see Appendixes P and Q).

And for me the faith-sharing groups were a wonderful experience. I wish they could have continued throughout the other two years, simply because of the nature of them—the faith base that it was, the way in which we were urged to probe beyond what was going on in the surface of our lives, and to grow beyond where we were. That was a really important time. And even the interplay of that period of what was going on with the rest of my life—it was certainly the period of my life in which I felt the least balanced.… But yet when I look back and see how much I grew through that very strenuous and vigorous cycle and rhythm of academic study, I count it all as a blessing. (Female, NES Place 4) Definitely top of the list for me was doing the Soul Feast in faith-sharing group. That was quite a bonding experience for me and took me into levels that I never experienced before. Having that ability to share within a group,… and I remember how I griped in the beginning—what do you mean, we can’t add input?… And within that experience, our particular group anyway, became tightly knit, and we shared on such deep, profound levels. It was a real growing experience. (Female, NES Place 4)

Surprise Findings

The volume of data collected by these three instruments at times was almost

overwhelming. As I got deeper into the observations and analysis, clearly choices had to

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be made and many potential areas not explored. One of the areas I did explore was the

relationship between multiple dependent variables (see Appendix R). While running a

correlation study on the independent variables, I noted the frequent high correlation

between various subscales. The information could not be reduced to a table, thus it is

presented in spreadsheet format in Appendix S. While NES Place is the only single

independent variable to which growth can be clearly correlated (except as noted earlier),

close relationships between these scales are obvious.

Simultaneous growth occurs among most of the fifteen scales analyzed. Many of

these demonstrate a correlation strength (r) in the range of .500 to .700. To say which of

these is the cause and which is the effect is to invoke the old chicken-and-egg debate.

One of these can not be isolated as it is with NES Place, gender and age, to treat it as an

independent variable. The patterns of relationship (correlations) are real, and they are

stronger in most cases than those found with the seminary.

If these findings showed nothing more, they would seem to be a strong reminder

that what impacts one part of the personality or character impacts every other aspect. As

persons grow in their understanding of who they are (self), their relationship to God, to

others, to ministry, to spiritual discipline, change in a positive direction as well. In the

same way, as persons grow in their relationship God, in their level of trust and love, their

relationship to others and themselves undergo change and growth. As their love for God

deepens, their desire to spend more time with him and in Scriptures grows. In the same

regard, as they spend more time in Scripture and prayer (Spiritual Disciplines), they see

positive changes and growth in their relationship to God, others, and self. These

interrelationships are clearly pictured in this correlation of dependent variables.

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This data would seem to affirm NES’ attempt to minister to both the head and

heart—to prepare the whole person for ministry. From inception the fundamental

objectives of NES have included the spiritual as well as the academic preparation of

candidates for pastoral and lay ministry in Christ’s Church. With a long Methodist

tradition of concern for the whole person, the Personal and Spiritual Committee of the

seminary fleshed out a set of spiritual formation objectives in the following concrete

ways (see Appendix B):

A spiritual retreat at the entry point of each new cohort;

The assignment of each seminarian to a faith-sharing group that meets every

other week during the Core curriculum led by a trained non-faculty spiritual facilitator

(see Appendix D);

Text books and Scripture study focused on personal and spiritual development

during each evening’s course of study;

Monthly chapel programming;

A written Personal Growth Contract;

Required courses spanning the second year of study covering spiritual and

pastoral formation; and,

Continuation of the Faith-sharing group experiences in the field education

curriculum of the second and third year of study.

While far from claiming to have solved the spiritual problems uncovered in four

decades of seminary studies, NES can be encouraged at this early stage. The seminary

has a strong, constructive and now tested model that could serve as a viable prototype for

others to study and model.

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The fragmentation of seminary curriculum results in a de facto fragmentation of

students by leaving major aspects of their divine image unaddressed. If indeed the

interrelationships that appear in this analysis represent the unity of persons’ multifaceted

makeup, then NES has additional solid ground for joining the chorus of others (Peterson;

Jones; Smith; Edwards; Oswald; and F. Freeman) in calling for the reintegration of

spirituality into the seminary’s curriculum.

Strengths of the Study Method Employed

The analysis of data collected from all three instruments indicates the positive

impact of, and a favorable evaluation of, the overall PSF program and NES’ attempt to

integrate spirituality back into theological education. The use of multiple research

instruments served to provide a means of checks and balances in this qualitative study.

The use of surveys and interviews is a widely accepted and appropriate means of

gathering information when that information is personal and subjective (Fink and

Kosecoff). The consistency of the data collected from surveys, structured interviews, and

assessment sources outside this research project greatly enhances the sense of validity

that can be assigned these findings. The Cronbach alpha scores for internal reliability

(test for item consistency) were within respectable ranges, indicating the items in the

subscales were indeed measuring similar things. While standard tests for validity were

not done on two of the instruments, the triangulation of data from these multiple sources

passes Seidman’s tests of being trustworthy, credible, and confirmable.

Considerations for Further Investigation

A number of procedural glitches became apparent during the process of gathering

and analyzing the data. These will need to be addressed if this study is continued at NES

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as planned. To ensure that all data could be categorized, a better means of associating and

identifying the SGI, the SLI, and the Interview will be necessary. Having students create

personal identification numbers (PIN) proved unreliable. In an attempt to protect privacy

by avoiding the use of parts of the students’ Social Security Number, the numbers

became too difficult for students to remember. An easily remembered system of

combining the last four Social Security Number digits and a mother’s maiden initials

should be employed in the future.

To better measure growth of change within the defined juncture of the NES

program, the surveys will need to limit the frame of responses to one year once the

student has enrolled. In a few instances, the interview answers hinted that the students

were answering based on experiences prior to the time frame being measured. This can

be accomplished by a simple editorial change to the printed material, but it also needs to

be stressed by the test administrator and interviewer.

Additional emphasis will need to be placed on the interview training to ensure

that all follow-up questions are asked and answered. In approximately a half dozen

instances, this was missed, or the interviewer assumed that the follow-up question had

been answered in the first response. Because of this a specific influence factor could not

be attributed to a number of the reported experiences.

As noted earlier another consideration for future use of these instruments would

be the development of a short scale on which students are asked to rate the influence of

certain specific variables on their growth. This would be one further way of reducing the

level of subjectivity.

A final issue for this study was in the time lag between the administration of the

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SGI and SLI and the completion of the semi-structured interviews. In some cases the

length of time between these two, due to scheduling restraints on both sides, was as much

as three months. In the case of those involved in the Core, such a delay clouded my

ability to distinguish any differences in growth between the mid-point and the conclusion

of the Core. The nature of the NES nonresident campus will continue to make this

scheduling an issue.

A last issue is the need for NES to address in more observable terms what it

means by each of the PSF objectives it purports to nurture. The use of focus groups to

gather a consensus of how each of these spiritual attributes might be observed and

measured would be one way of achieving this end. With those findings in hand, a more

specific instrument could be constructed that would allow a more accurate measure. Such

an instrument could be of value to other institutions for use in similar studies. The

absence of instruments to measure spiritual and personal formation was discovered early

in this project.

Generalizability of the Study

The sample group for this study was the entire full-time student body and

graduates. As such, the findings are representative of the entireness student and alumni

body. Insofar as the sample is relatively small, to assume that these results are predictive

of future student bodies is premature. The consistency of the findings, along with the

diversity of the sample group (see Appendix O, age, gender, etc.), and the absence of any

significant influence by other independent variables is grounds for optimism. Longer

term studies will need to be continued before such conclusions can be made.

The long-term question of this study is still unanswered. Will the apparent levels

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of personal and spiritual growth experienced by NES students and graduates translate

into persistence and satisfaction in ministry? While the institution can point to a number

of personal and spiritual factors and speculate about their positive implications against

checklists for burnout, additional longitudinal studies are needed. NES graduates are only

two years out of school at best. They will need to be tracked over five and ten years

before the potential impact of the curriculum can be really judged.

Observations and Recommendation to NES

As I conclude this study, several recommendations or, better yet, observations

become apparent that NES may wish to consider. In addition to recommending that a

time be established for the faculty and staff to review and reflect on the findings of this

study, I have noted five specific observations for the leadership’s consideration.

The practice of using non-faculty, trained leadership for the Faith Sharing groups

has a certain humble genius associated with it, particularly when these facilitators are lay

leaders training future pastors. The seminary should not only maintain this practice but

also guard it and ensure that adequate resources are available in future years to continue

its practice. A strategy will need to be developed to ensure a pool of qualified, available

leaders as the seminary grows.

NES will need to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of the PSF components

after the Core and seek creative means of building on the strengths of the first year

program. Students report a sense of loss after the Cohort and the Faith Sharing Groups

break up in year two. Monday night class schedules do not provide for chapel or other

specific spiritual growth experiences such as those programmed into the Core. The non-

resident, non-traditional nature of the school will challenge every effort at achieving this,

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but the strong positive results from the Core should inspire continued efforts. As the

seminary grows and gets set in its ways, instituting the creative changes that need to be

found to ensure a strong focus on both academics and personal growth throughout the

program will become increasingly more difficult.

The data gives amble grounds for rejoicing over the continued personal and

spiritual growth in the lives in and ministries of NES’ graduates. The apparent strong

self-reported correlation between this personal ongoing growth and the

training/experience received at NES is encouraging to see. What further ways of building

on this personal and spiritual growth among the graduates might be implemented? NES

has already set in place a program that allows graduates to audit courses at a greatly

reduced rate and to attend the yearly All-Seminary Retreat. The Personal and Spiritual

Formation Committee should continue to look for other innovative means of supporting

its graduates in the years to come.

Another observation focuses on the faculty, staff, and administration. While much

has been planned and instituted to ensure that each student is challenged to maintain a

balanced approach to ministry (head and heart, academics and spiritual growth), the

question begs a response as to what structures are in place to ensure the same for those

that lead, teach, and support these efforts. As seen in this study, seminaries have been

notoriously guilty of assuming the spiritual health and growth of its student bodies. The

same must not be said of the personal and spiritual growth of its faculty and staff. Are

times allotted, opportunities sought, and resources provided to ensure that the faculty,

staff and administration will continue to be effective practitioners of the models they

teach? The institution must apply the same creative energies toward providing for a

Babcock 171

“curriculum” of the personal and spiritual growth of its own personnel.

A plan of action should be developed and implemented to continue this kind of

study to determine the long-term impact of NES’ formation program. Do NES graduates

fair any better than the average seminary graduates through the first five years after

graduation and beyond? Can these early, exciting results be duplicated with later Cohorts

as the seminary grows? The continued, objective appraisal of the personal and spiritual

growth curriculum can serve to keep it fresh and effective.

One final observation stems from Alan Jones’ apt commentary on the pace of

seminary life. The design of NES’ program that allows individuals to continue in full-

time employment while adding 28-30 hours of study to an already full week presents its

own set of contradictions and hazards to maintaining personal and spiritual balance. How

to address this issue and make adjustments for it should continue to be a primary area of

prayer and planning by the faculty. Student comments indicating the post-Core

experience is more stressful than the Core along with the absence of planned “spiritual

space” beg attention in coming years.

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APPENDIX A

NES PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION OBJECTIVES

NES seeks to nurture, in each of its students, an ongoing, personal relationship with the

triune God that manifests itself in certain specific behaviors or personal characteristics.

While not limited to any given list, these personal attributes or characteristics include

(adapted from F. Freeman):

In relationship to God

• A personal awareness of being loved by God,

• A deepening acceptance and love of God, and

• A growing confidence of God’s active presence in the world and one’s own life;

In relationship to others

• A deepening acceptance and love of others,

• A capacity and propensity for compassion,

• A freedom to receive and give love, and

• Concern for and ability to relate openly with other people, especially in reference

to one’s Christian faith and life;

In relationship to oneself

• A capacity to allow God the freedom to be God,

• A recognition of how the Bible addresses one’s own life and the lives of other

persons and groups,

• An ability to be in touch with one’s feelings and to identify and express them

appropriately,

• A creativity, imagination, humor, and freedom of spirit as characteristics of one’s

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ministerial style,

• A sense of confidence and courage in taking stands for convictions in both

religious and secular communities and even in the face of opposition, and

• Progress in the development of a disciplined prayer and worship life that provides

personal nourishment and ministry with others;

In relationship to Christian ministry

• A sense of conviction of one’s call by God to Christian ministry and a sense of

the arena of one’s specific form of ministry, and

• An ability to hold things loosely and invest oneself passionately.

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APPENDIX D

NES FAITH-SHARING GROUPS

NES Faith-Sharing Groups

• General Definition: Faith-sharing is a process in which people share stories of how

God is active in their lives and ways they respond to God. Faith-sharing groups are

designed to create a sacred space through shared reflection on the action of God in

the life experience of group members.

Faith-Sharing in the NES Context

• A formative arena in which to experience and reflect on the activity of God in one’s

life during the years of the seminary journey and

• An appreciation for a lifelong ministry of listening and spiritual direction as one of

the definitive features of the pastoral calling.

The Place of Faith-Sharing in the NES Core Curriculum

• PSF 510—Introduction to Personal and Spiritual Formation

Interwoven throughout the period of the NES Core curriculum, PSF 510 is designed

to provide a theological, historical, and practical introduction to the resources and

disciplines of formative Christian spirituality. In addition to exposure to classical

materials through integrated readings in the Core curriculum, students will participate

outside of class in a faith-sharing practicum, chapel programs, seminary retreats, and

an individual formative assessment process.

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APPENDIX E

THE CORE CURRICULUM

The Core curriculum consists of five courses totaling thirty-eight credits.

Each course approaches its specific subject matter and its respective Church Age (era in

Church history) through five distinct windows. These windows are the

♦ Historical and cultural content,

♦ Interpretation and use of Scripture,

♦ Theological issues and contributions,

♦ Church life and ministry, and

♦ Application to ministry in the twenty-first century.

The Core curriculum is highly integrative, reflecting a holistic and nonsectarian

approach to the study of Church history and the Scriptures. A strong emphasis on

personal spiritual formation is an integral part of the curriculum.

Core Courses

• BHT 511—The Biblical Era: Evangelism, Missions and Church Growth

• BHT 512—The Formative Era: Controversy and Politics in the Church

• BHT 513—The Protestant Era: Reformation and Revival in the Church

• BHT 514—The Modern World—The Era of Challenge: Technology,

Science, and Secularization

• PSF 511-514—Introduction to Personal and Spiritual Formation

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YEAR TWO PSF REQUIRED COURSEWORK:

• PSF 611—Pastoral Formation Description: This course offers

substantial exposure to the rich resources of the Christian tradition

regarding the nature and practice of the pastoral calling. Among the issues

explored are the spiritual and theological foundations of pastoral work, the

discovery of a pastoral identity, the meaning of ordination, and the office

and functions of the pastor. Building on the foundation of the central

pastoral acts of prayer, Scripture reading, and spiritual direction, the

course seeks to assist the student in the development of a method for

ongoing theological reflection in ministry.

• PSF 612—Spiritual Formation Description: This course surveys the

history, theology, and practice of Christian spiritual formation. Christian

spirituality is explored by examining its biblical and theological

foundations, its historical expressions among Orthodox, Roman Catholic,

and Protestant believers, and its classical disciplines. The course includes

discussion of the relation between communal worship and personal

spirituality, exercises in various ways of praying and exposure to the art of

spiritual direction. The goal of the course is to be both informational and

formational.

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APPENDIX G

DEFINING PSF OBJECTIVES

Solicitation Letter

To: NES Faculty, Staff, Council of Church Leaders, and Friends From: Brian D. Babcock Subject: Measuring NES Spiritual Formation Objectives Date: 4/10/01

As part of my Doctor of Ministry studies, I am working with the NES Personal and Spiritual Formation Committee to evaluate the impact of our Spiritual Formation curriculum and programs.

As such, I am seeking “measurable means” of determining if indeed we are doing what we propose to be doing. Below I have copied the NES Personal and Spiritual Formation Objectives. I am seeking the input from as many of you as are willing and able to participate to identify the “measurable marks” of our 15 objectives. How would we recognize these specific behaviors and/or personal characteristics that we seek to nurture in each of our students?

Please note as many “manifestations” of each specific behavior or personal characteristics that come to your mind. Use as much explanation as you think necessary to help us understand what you are describing.

Return these sheets (or e-mail responses) to Barb Touchstone at your earliest convenience. When consolidated, I will send each of you who were able to participate a final copy for review.

Thank you for your assistance.

Brian D. Babcock NES Personal and Spiritual Formation Objectives: NES seeks to nurture, in each of its students, an ongoing personal relationship with the triune God that manifests itself in certain specific behaviors or personal characteristics. While not limited to any given list, these personal attributes or characteristics include (adapted from F. Freeman): IN RELATIONSHIP TO GOD: 1. A personal awareness of being loved by God Measurable Marks: 2. A deepening acceptance and love of God Measurable Marks: 3. A growing confidence of God’s active presence in the world and one’s own life Measurable Marks: IN RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS:

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4. A deepening acceptance and love of others Measurable Marks: 5. A capacity and propensity for compassion Measurable Marks: 6. A freedom to receive and give love Measurable Marks: 7. Concern for and ability to relate openly with other people, especially in reference to one’s Christian faith and life Measurable Marks: IN RELATIONSHIP TO ONESELF: 8. A capacity to allow God the freedom to be God Measurable Marks: 9. A recognition of how the Bible addresses one’s own life and the lives of other persons and groups Measurable Marks: 10. An ability to be in touch with one’s feelings and to identify and express them appropriately Measurable Marks: 11. A creativity, imagination, humor, and freedom of spirit as characteristics of one’s ministerial style Measurable Marks: 12. A sense of confidence and courage in taking stands for convictions, in both religious and secular communities, and even in the face of opposition Measurable Marks: 13. Progress in the development of a disciplined prayer and worship life that provides personal nourishment and ministry with others Measurable Marks: IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY: 14. A sense of conviction of one’s call by God to Christian ministry and a sense of the arena of one’s specific form of ministry Measurable Marks: 15. An ability to hold things loosely and invest oneself passionately Measurable Marks:

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APPENDIX H

COVER LETTER FOR 2ND AND 3RD YEAR STUDENTS

Dear Seminarian: Enclosed you will find two assessments instruments. These items will be used in a

longitudinal study on the impact of spiritual formation in the lives and ministries of Northeastern’s students and graduates.

Please follow the directions below for filling out the attached answer sheets for

the Spiritual Life Inventory and the Spiritual-Growth Self-Assessment Instrument. Additional instructions are given on the top of each instrument.

1. Do NOT write your name or any other identifying features on the answer sheets. 2. In the upper right hand corner of each answer sheet is a box. Working on the very left

hand side of this box (and downward), write in your 4-7 digit PIN number from the first time you completed these assessment pieces. If this is your first time, create a PIN number between 4 and 7 digits long that you will remember for future use. In the very bottom two spaces provided, write your current age. See example below:

3. Please return only the completed answer sheets to your instructor by the next class

session.

Thank you!

Brian D. Babcock Assistant Dean

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APPENDIX I

SPIRITUAL GROWTH INVENTORY

We recognize the subjective nature and interpretation of the items listed below. We ask that you answer each in a way that reflects your best understanding of the item and your honest appraisal of change (if any) in your life in the last 12 months. No attempt will be made to identify you from the answers given below.

NES Personal and Spiritual Formation Objectives

Northeastern Seminary (NES) seeks to nurture, in each of its students, an ongoing personal relationship with the triune God that manifests itself in certain specific behaviors or personal characteristics. While not limited to any given list, NES has identified 15 personal attributes or characteristics across four basic relationships. As you consider each of these personal attributes or spiritual characteristics, please indicate your personal assessment of the growth you have experienced in each over the last 12 months. Please circle your response below and record the letter or number on the answer sheet.

BACKGROUND QUESTIONS

1 Have you attended another seminary prior to NES? A. Yes B. No

2. Which of the following best identifies your Educational Background prior to attending NES?

A. No College or Bible School Degree or Diploma B. Bible school Diploma C. Accredited Bachelor Degree (Christian College or Other) D. Accredited Master Degree E. Doctoral Level studies or degree

3. At which of these points are you in your NES studies:

A. Beginning the Core (First Year) B. Finishing BHT 512 (1/2 way through the Core) C. Finishing the Core D. Completing Year 2 E. Graduation

4. In which program are you enrolled?

A. MDiv Student B. MA Student

5. What gender are you?

A. Male B. Female

6. In which capacity do you serve your local church body?

A. Lay or Lay leader in my church B. Paid full-time Pastor or Assistant Pastor C. Tentmaker Pastor or Assistant Pastor

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7. If you are a pastor or assistant pastor, how long have you served in this capacity? A. Less than 2 years B. Less than 5 years C. More than 5 years

IN RELATIONSHIP TO GOD:

8. A personal awareness of being loved by God. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

9. A deepening acceptance of God in my life. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

10. A deepening love of God. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

11. A growing confidence of God’s active presence in the world. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

12. A growing confidence of God’s active presence in my life. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

IN RELATIONSHIP TO OTHERS:

13. A deepening acceptance of others.

With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

14. A deepening love of others.


15. A capacity and propensity for compassion.


16. A freedom to receive love. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

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17. A freedom to give love. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

18. Concern for, and ability to relate openly with, other people, especially in reference to my Christian faith and life.


IN RELATIONSHIP TO ONESELF:

19. A capacity to allow God the freedom to be God. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

20. Recognition of how the Bible addresses my own life. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

21. Recognition of how the Bible addresses the lives of other persons and groups. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

22. An ability to be in touch with my own feelings and to identify and express them appropriately.

With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1 23. A creativity, imagination, humor and freedom of spirit, as characteristics of my ministerial

style. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1

24. A sense of confidence and courage in taking stands for my convictions in religious communities.


25. A sense of confidence and courage in taking stands for my convictions, in secular communities.

With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1 26. A sense of confidence and courage in taking stands for my convictions in the face of

opposition. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced:

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Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

27. Progress in the development of a disciplined worship life that provides personal nourishment

and ministry with others. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1 28. Progress in the development of a disciplined prayer life that provides personal nourishment. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1

IN RELATIONSHIP TO CHRISTIAN MINISTRY: 29. A sense of conviction regarding my call by God to Christian ministry. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1 30. Sense of conviction of my call by God to a specific arena or form of ministry. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1 31. An ability to hold “things” loosely. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1 32. An ability to invest myself passionately in my ministry. With regard to this spiritual attribute or characteristic I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth

4 3 2 1

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PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

Across the curriculum, NES seeks to provide various models, which seek to nurture the use of or growth in a number of the classic spiritual disciplines. As you consider each of these classic spiritual disciplines, please indicate your personal assessment of the growth you have experienced in each over the last 12 months. Growth should be measured by your increased practice of, appreciation for, or sense of value for a particular discipline. Please circle your response below and record the number on the answer sheet.

Comments to explain or expand on your response are welcomed on the answer sheet.

33. Prayer With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

34. Meditation With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

35. Fasting With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

36. Study of Scripture With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

37. Spiritual Journaling With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

38. Spiritual Reading With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

39. Service

With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

40. Solitude

With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

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41. Confession With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

42. Worship With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

43. Spiritual Guidance With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

44. Celebration With regard to this Personal or Spiritual Discipline I have experienced: Significant Growth Much Growth Some Growth No Growth 4 3 2 1

Additional Comments/Explanation:

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APPENDIX J

SPIRITUAL LIFE INVENTORY

SPIRITUAL LIFE: Circle the number to the right of each statement which matches your experience most

closely. Always Usually Occa-

sionally Rarely Never

S1 Scripture nourishes my spiritual life. 5 4 3 2 1

S2 I experience prayer as central to my spiritual well-being. 5 4 3 2 1

S3 Music plays an important role in nurturing my spiritual life. 5 4 3 2 1

S4 I meet with a prayer partner. 5 4 3 2 1

S5 Other Christians understand and forgive me when I fail. 5 4 3 2 1

S6 I can count upon my home church to pray/care for me. 5 4 3 2 1

S7 My denomination/church promotes and

encourages opportunities for my spiritual growthand nurture.

5 4 3 2 1

S8 When things don’t turn out as I expected, I look for God’s hand in it. 5 4 3 2 1

S9 I have difficulty forgiving myself when I fail. 5 4 3 2 1

S10 I feel deeply that God has called me to a missionary vocation. 5 4 3 2 1

S11 Our family devotions are meaningful to me. 5 4 3 2 1

S12 I think my devotional experiences should be more life giving than they are. 5 4 3 2 1

S13 I have someone with whom I can share

anything, including my spiritual failures and successes.

5 4 3 2 1

S14 My denomination/church gives me freedom to

pursue opportunities for my spiritual development.

5 4 3 2 1

S15 If I did not have a prayer partner, I would have a big hole in my life. 5 4 3 2 1

S16 Meeting with a small group for Christian nurture enriches my spiritual development. 5 4 3 2 1

S17 I experience God’s direct involvement in my life. 5 4 3 2 1

S18 When things in a relationship disturb me, God seems far away. 5 4 3 2 1

S19 I rely upon my work in missions as a primary means for nourishing my spiritual life. 5 4 3 2 1

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S20 My spouse provides significant encouragement to me spiritually. 5 4 3 2 1

S21 I try to have times of solitude for renewing and strengthening my relationship with God. 5 4 3 2 1

S22 The church where I worship contributes substantially to my spiritual life. 5 4 3 2 1

S23 When I become angry, I attempt to understand my feelings in light of how God would respond

to the situation. 5 4 3 2 1

S24 I practice my individual devotions out of a sense of duty. 5 4 3 2 1

S25 When I have failed in my spiritual walk, I am aware of God’s forgiveness. 5 4 3 2 1

S26 I share needs/blessings with a prayer partner. 5 4 3 2 1

S27 I interpret problems and/or stresses as God teaching me new things. 5 4 3 2 1

S28 My denomination/church encourages me to cultivate my relationship with God. 5 4 3 2 1

S29 I have someone in my life who functions as pastor/spiritual friend to me. 5 4 3 2 1

S30 I feel that I fail to please God. 5 4 3 2 1

S31 I experience the Holy Spirit actively helping me in my life. 5 4 3 2 1

S32 My current Christian ministry is sustained by a God-given call. 5 4 3 2 1

S33 I experience God’s surprising intervention when I least expect it. 5 4 3 2 1

S34 I feel spiritually drained. 5 4 3 2 1

S35 It is more important to obey God in response to the Great Commission than to have a distinct sense of call to a missionary vocation.

5 4 3 2 1

Property of:

Dr. Leslie Andrews Asbury Seminary Wilmore, KY.

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APPENDIX K

SEMI-STRUCTURED, OPEN-ENDED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

[To be read to each interviewee.] These questions are being asked of a random sampling of students and graduates from each of five different junctures of the NES experience. It is part of a cross-sectional doctoral study of seminary students. No attempt will be made to identify specific students by name or any other means during this study. The results of these taped interviews will be used to help interpret the written self-assessment questionnaire given all NES students. At that time each tape will be erased.

To keep all interviews standard, it is important that the interviewer read each question

verbatim repeating only the question as often as possible to clarify. There is no set length to a student’s response—answers may be as long or short as desired. Follow up questions will be asked after the student has completed answering the original question.

[Note to interviewer:] Please stop the tape and check the volume reception level after the

first two background questions to insure a quality recording, and then proceed.

Background Questions:

Have you attended another seminary prior to NES? Yes / No Which of the following best identifies your Education Background prior to attending NES:

• Bible School or College Diploma • Some college but no degree • Bachelor Degree (Christian College or Other) • Master Degree • Doctoral Level studies or degree

[Stop and check the reception level on the tape. Make sure you don’t record over the first two answers when beginning again.]

At which of these points are you in your NES studies:

4. Beginning the Core 5. Finishing BHT 512 (1/2 way through the Core) 6. Finishing the Core 7. Completing Year 2 1. Graduation

Which of the following best represents you: • MDiv Student or MA Student • Male or Female • Married, Single, Once Married, Widowed • Married with young children, Married with grown children • Lay or Lay leader in my church • Paid full-time Pastor or Assistant pastor

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• Tentmaker Pastor or Assistant Pastor

If you are a pastor or assistant pastor, how long? ________

What was your age at your last birthday? ______

Please indicate your Church or denomination without naming your specific church home: (i.e., Assemblies of God, UMC, etc.)

Content Questions:

Question #1: Describe a significant spiritual event and/or period in the your life in the last 2-3 years.

Follow up Question: What events or issues influenced or precipitated this event? Question #2: Identify two significant persons in your life. What words would you use to characterize your relationship with these persons? How might they characterize your relationship?

Follow up Questions: (1) What similarities and/or differences do you note in your relationships over the past two years? If differences: (2) What events or issues influenced or precipitated these changes?

Question #3: Think back over the last 2-3 years and pick an attitude, inner struggle, discipline, etc., where you note you’ve experienced change. Describe the change and the process leading up to the change.

Follow up Question: To what do you attribute these changes? Question #4: In what ways have you experienced God’s presence and actions in your life and in the world in general in the past 2-3 years?

Follow up Question: Have you always understood God in this way? If not why not?

Question #5: How would you characterize your personal sense of “call” to Christian ministry?

Follow up Question: Has there been any change in that view in recent years? If so, please describe.

Question #6: What are some of the highlights of your time at NES to date?

Follow up Question: Give some details.

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APPENDIX L

INTERVIEW CODING GUIDE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

Likert Scale 4 3 2 1 Key: 4 = Significant; 3 = Much; 2 = Some; 1 = None or None reported

Evaluate the student’s overall, self-reported level of change/growth reported in each of the following general areas during the time:

1 View of God 2 View of the church 3 View of ministry 4 View of self 5 View of the role of spiritual disciplines in personal life 6 View of family life and relationships 7 Personal sense of call to Christian ministry

Evaluate the student’s self-report level of growth/change in the awareness of God’s activity that is apparent in each of the following areas during the time reported:

8 God’s role and involvement in world events 9 God’s role and involvement in the student’s daily life

10 God’s role and involvement in the ministry of Christian faith groups other than ours

11 God’s role and activity in the Church Evaluate the student’s self-reported evaluation of the role/importance of his/her seminary experience in producing growth or change in any or all of these areas during the time reported.

12 View of God 13 View of the church 14 View of ministry 15 View of self 16 View of the role of spiritual disciplines 17 View of family life and relationships 18 Personal sense of call to Christian ministry

Evaluate the role/influence of each of these in the student’s change/growth that is reported during the time reported:

19 Seminary experience in general 20 Seminary PSF experience in particular 21 Church/ministry experience during the time reported 22 Experiences in his/her family during the time reported 23 Experiences/Relationships with friends during the time reported 24 Intrapersonal issues (self-reflection)

Evaluate the student’s overall spiritual life/activity during the time reported:

25 Note any significant theme, overall impressions, events reported in this interview.

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APPENDIX M

CODING GUIDE FOR NES GRADUATES

LIKERT Scale 4 = Significantly strong; 3 = Strong; 2 = Weak; 1 = None Present

Evaluate the graduate’s status one and two years after NES by rating the strength of the evidence found for each of the following:

1 Evidence of ongoing, personal spiritual well-being/Absence of signs of

burnout (overwork, depression, disillusionment) 2 Enthusiasm for/continued active participation in Christian Ministry

(excitement at God’s work, serving, reaching out to others, etc.) 3 Practice of spiritual disciplines (prayer, Scripture, reading, etc.) 4 Evidence of “balance” between personal, family, ministry involvement. 5 “Sense of God:” (active participation in decisions, ministry, trusting,

lack of need to “control,” confidence, absence of anxiety over life or ministry)

6 Personal sense of being where God wants them to be (“Call”) 7 Personal relationships for accountability/spiritual formation 8 Awareness of, healthy/constructive dealing with intrapersonal issues

(attitudes, emotions, relationships, etc.)

LIKERT Scale 4 = Significantly strong; 3 = Somewhat Strong; 2 = Noted; 1 = None Reported

What is the graduate’s appraisal of the value/contribution of the following aspects

of NES to his/her ongoing life and ministry.

9 PSF program (FSG, Retreats, reading, courses, emphasis on “Heart & Head”)

10 CORE: classical integrated approach to study Scripture, theology, Church, “connectedness” with historical Church

11 Cohort: Relationships developed with fellow students 12 Faculty and/or staff 13 Field Education 14 Diversity of student body 15 Overall/General sense of the value of NES after graduation

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APPENDIX N

CODING INSTRUCTION GUIDE FOR SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW

QUESTIONS 1-8: GRADUATES

#1 Title: Evidence of ongoing, personal spiritual well-being

Explanation: Absence of signs of burnout (overwork, depression, disillusionment)

#2 Title: Enthusiasm for/continued active participation in Christian ministry

Explanation: Excitement at God’s work, serving, reaching out to others, and so forth

#3 Title: Practice of spiritual disciplines

Explanation: prayer, Scripture, reading, etc.

#4 Title: Evidence of “balance” between personal, family, ministry involvement

Explanation: (Title is self-evident)

#5 Title: “Sense of God”

Explanation: active participation in decisions, ministry, trusting, lack of need to “control,”

confidence, absence of anxiety over life or ministry

#6 Title: Personal sense of being where God wants them to be

Explanation: “Call”

#7 Title: Personal relationships for accountability/spiritual formation

Explanation: (Title is self-evident)

#8 Title: Awareness of healthy/constructive dealing with intrapersonal issues

Explanation: attitudes, emotions, relationships, etc.

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APPENDIX O

NORTHEASTERN SEMINARY FALL REPORT 2001

Retention Head Count

Cohorts

Description #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 Total Original Count 11 21 20 23 21 16 20 132

Graduated 9 10 6 0 0 0 0 25 Continuing 0 6 10 18 16 12 20 82

Stop-Outs (Plan to Return) 1 3 4 3 2 2 0 15 Attrition 1 2 0 2 3 2 0 10

% of Original Admissions Graduated or Still Enrolled:

81.06%

Fall 2001 Headcount & Credits & FTE

Category Headcount Credit Hours FTE* Full-Time 73 751 83 Part-Time 22 82 9

Audit 10 0 0 105 833 93

* FTE based on 9 Credits full-time

Demographic Breakdown of Enrolled Full-Time Students

Description Post-Core Cohorts Total % Years 2 & 3 #5 #6 #7

Degree Program Master of Divinity 20 8 7 14 49 67%

Master of Arts 5 8 5 6 24 33% MSW Dual Degree (Incl. in MDiv) 4 2 0 4 10 14%

Gender

Male 15 10 7 12 44 60% Female 10 6 5 8 29 40%

Race /Ethnicity

Black Non-Hispanic 7 1 0 3 11 15% Hispanic 0 0 1 0 1 1%

American Indian or Alaskan Native 0 0 0 0 0 0% White, Non-Hispanic 18 15 11 17 61 84%

Asian or Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0 0 0% Total Minority Population 7 1 1 3 12 16%

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Vocation (Current) Pastor or Associate, full-time 8 6 3 2 19 26%

Pastor, part-time 0 0 0 1 1 1% Other Church Employment 1 0 0 1 2 3%

Secular Employment 16 10 9 17 52 71%

Age Mean Age 37.4 39.6 39.5 40.6 N/A 39.2 Age Range 25-62 23-56 29-56 22-60 N/A 22-62

Education

Roberts Wesleyan 3 6 2 2 13 18% Special Category 0 0 3 0 3 4%

Bachelor 16 13 7 13 49 67% Masters 7 3 2 6 18 25%

Ph.D. / Doctorate 2 0 0 0 2 3%

Place of Residence NY, Monroe 7 9 4 9 29 40% NY, Other 18 5 7 11 41 56%

Canada 0 1 0 0 1 1% PA 0 1 1 0 2 3%

Denominational Affiliation AME 0 0 0 0 0 0% Assemblies of God 1 1 0 1 3 4% Baptist, American 4 0 1 3 8 11% Baptist, Missionary 1 0 0 0 1 1% Baptist, Seventh Day 1 0 0 0 1 1% Baptist, Southern 0 0 0 1 1 1% Christian Missionary Alliance 0 0 1 1 2 3% Church of Christ 0 1 0 1 2 3% Episcopal 0 0 0 1 1 1% Episcopal, Charismatic 0 0 0 0 0 0% Evangelical Free 0 0 0 1 1 1% Independent / Non-Denominational 8 4 2 4 18 25% Methodist, Free 5 3 1 3 12 16% Methodist, United 3 1 1 0 5 7% Nazarene 2 2 1 0 5 7% Pentecostal/Charismatic 0 1 3 1 5 7% Presbyterian 0 1 1 0 2 3% Reformed 0 1 0 1 2 3% Roman Catholic 0 0 1 0 1 1% Salvation Army 0 1 0 0 1 1% Seventh Day Adv. 0 0 0 1 1 1% Wesleyan 0 0 0 1 1 1% 25 16 12 20 73 20 Denominations (plus Independents) currently represented 22 Denominations (plus Independents) represented since beginning

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APPENDIX P

GRADUATING STUDENT COMMENCEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE

(SUMMARY)

NORTHEASTERN SEMINARY Graduating Student Questionnaire

Class of 2002

1. Ministry plans to date:

___4__ Ordination ___1____Para-church ministry __1___ Lay Leadership

___1___Chaplaincy ___5__ Church Staff __2___Other

(senior pastor, associate, church administration)

2. Current denominational connection:

___2__ Non-denominational ___1__ Roman Catholic ___1__ Presbyterian

___2__ Elim Fellowship ___1__ Baptist ___1__ Nazarene

___2__ Free Methodist ___1__ ABC American Baptist Congregation

___1__ Protestant

3. Current employment:

___6__ Church related/full-time ____2___Secular Employment

___1__ Church related/part-time ____5___Other

4. Favorite aspects of NES experience:

• The application of knowledge.

• The professors and students and having a mentor (Sister Kathleen Wayne).

• Spiritual Formation and the interpersonal interaction with students, faculty, and staff.

• I really enjoyed the faith-sharing groups. As a pastor it was refreshing to listen to others and not

have to give advice on direction (i.e., be a pastor).

• Christian fellowship in an academic setting on a weekly basis.

• Cohort module and curriculum.

• Flexibility of program in terms of time commitments and course offerings and impressed with the

quality of my professors and the resources available.

• The professors, the discussions with my classmates, and my long drives with a very good friend.

• Cohort classmates—discussions, prayer, group reflections, class interaction, etc.

• Class discussion and interaction with faculty.

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• Spiritual Formation aspects.

• I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the NES experience, from the Cohorts to the Field

Education. Even with the burdensome schedule that I maintain, the classroom presentation by the

professors or the other presenter along with classmates’ interaction, it has been most enriching.

• The Core was certainly the most challenging yet remains the most rewarding aspect of my journey

at NES. I now feel rooted and grounded in the classical Christian faith and in the global

community of Christ.

5. Least favorite aspects of NES experience:

• Getting gray hair.

• The amount of homework.

• The two-hour commute each week.

• The amount of study. I have done little else over the past two years.

• Last course on writing research paper (not very helpful).

• Just wish we had more time to delve more into specific issues briefly encountered in our readings.

• The long drives I had to do alone!

• Time restraints.

• Driving to class.

• Written assignments.

• Home assignments were taxing but necessary.

6. My most memorable moment(s) at NES:

• The relationships with faculty and classmates.

• Finding the gray hair.

• Faith-sharing and celebrating life experiences.

• The joy we shared in laughter in the midst of complex studies.

• The second cohort on the Patristic Era.

• Our group discussions and faith-sharing times.

• The Core experience was very special.

• Sorry, I cannot remember any specifics, even though there were moments.

• Rooming with Sebastian Prospero at a Seminary Retreat.

• Retreat experience.

• Sacrament service under the direction of Dr. Livermore.

• My favorite memories of NES will always be tied up in thoughts of my fellow students. The

community of learners gathered here were incredibly gifted by intelligence, openness, honesty,

and compassion.

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7. Greatest impact of seminary years on my life, family, or ministry:

• A greater appreciation for the providence of God in moving us into the fullness of his plan for our

lives.

• Experiencing God in new ways.

• The greatest impact would be (1) accepting the ministry (maturity), (2) greater intimacy with my

family, (3) a balance in life.

• Having attended seminary before this time it gave me more security in what and why I believe. I

would say it has given me more security and stability.

• NES has opened my eyes, expanded my awareness, and elevated my personal relationship with the

Lord. I have a renewed commitment to that relationship.

• Deeper understanding of historical theology, an appreciation for my family and their support, and

greater confidence in preaching.

• Enhanced my competency academically and helped me to better understand the origin and purpose

of the universal Church mission.

• I have a much deeper understanding of the roots of Christianity and the impact we can have as we

continue the mission of Apostolic Christianity.

• Broadened my understanding of the body of Christ and Church at large from its inception to today in

the new millennium.

• I came into ministry questioning my call, desire to minister, and even my appreciation for the

church. During my seminary experience, my call was further defined, my desire to minister was

renewed, and I fell back in love with the church. Thanks.

• Spiritual Formation.

• I have been blessed to partake of a learning experience second to none. I have been challenged to

reassess my doctoral beliefs, which for the most part were in line with what I have learned at NES. I

have instituted service which we were not having and now we do, that being the Sacrament.

• The greatest gift NES has given me is the conciliation that I must attend to my personal spiritual

formation. Although NES did a stellar job in preparing me for the visible lines of pastoral

ministry—preaching, teaching, administration—the true heritage for me has been the preparation

for, and attention to, the invisible lines of ministry—prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction.

8. What my family thought of my experience at NES:

• It took a lot of my time, but they were grateful I did it.

• At first, I think they were concerned I was going to the “other” side! But then realized—we are all

on the same side. Overall, I believe they would agree that the NES experience has opened new

doors for me, which we all have benefited from.

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• They loved the fact that I was attending seminary and answering the call of God. However, I

drove them crazy—smile.

• My family looked forward to the discussions we would have over dinner about class and the

different theological concepts.

• They were very patient, understanding, and supportive. They were overwhelmed, at times, along

with me relating to the amount of study involved.

• Great!

• They have been fully supportive and are very proud that I chose NES as my school.

• Proud of me, but thankful that it is over!

• They did not directly know my experience but were very supportive of my decision to attend NES

(they all live out of state).

• It was a lot of time and effort, but the changes made in me were well worth it.

• My family has pushed me when at times I wanted to quit. They are more excited about my

finishing the course than I am.

• So pleased. So supportive. Convinced I was receiving the highest quality education.

Other Comments:

• The greatest asset to the NES experience is the practical application to the 21st century ministry.

All the professors challenged us to apply the Biblical text to a modern-day reality.

• I leave with sincere thanks to the seminary staff, professors and office professionals, who, on a

weekly basis, guided me through seminary. Their dedication and personal commitment to God

and the seminary was quite evident. It is through their weekly efforts that the success of the

program and the students involved is possible.

• The entire experience at NES has been most enjoyable and soul enriching in that I feel that I am

more refined now that the materials and learned experience has begun to finally set in. I have

recommended NES to many aspiring clerics and will continue to do so. I really desire your

continued prayers that I stay in the will of God in all my endeavors. God bless all of you at NES.

• I would especially like to thank all of the professors who have meant so much to me during the

last 3 years. They have been more than excellent teachers—they have been pastors, spiritual

directors, mentors, and friends. Thank you.

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APPENDIX Q

NORTHEASTERN SEMINARY

GRADUATING STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE—MAY 2001

Additional Comments

1. When you talk to friends that know of your involvement at Northeastern Seminary, what kinds of things do you tell them?

• Spiritual Formation groups; Ecumenical focus on ministry/doctrine; Focus on devotion; The great

education in church history and church tradition. • That the Spiritual formation classes will change their lives. • One of the greatest experiences of my life; have highly recommended it to many people. • I love the attention paid to spiritual formation, the cohort model is wonderful; classes one night a

week made it workable in reference to employment, family, etc.; there is so much respect and personal attention.

• It has a practical approach. I like its rooting in classical Christianity. • I tell them about the spiritual development process learning about the histories origin of the

different denominations. Recognizing how we are all the same in the Lord. • The challenge of study. The academic/spiritual integrity of the instructors. • Bible based, classical education. Back to basics. • Spiritual Formation. Classical Christian approach. Appreciation on doctrine differences. • About its diversities, non-parochialism, and its diversities. • Spiritual Formation. Comprehensive church history, serious commitment, application & practical

application, excellent training. • The program is excellent because of the emphasis on both spiritual formation as well as

academics. The instructors evidence love & personal relationship with the Lord and hunger for more of him.

• How great it is. 2. As we plan for the future, what would you suggest we keep the same, or how can we improve the

program?

• Lengthen spiritual formation groups, perhaps; Participate or inform of spiritual formation facilitator training.

• CHT 511, 512, 513, 514. KEEP THEM! • Keep spiritual formation strong. • Keep same; classic Christianity, primary documents, education for head and heart. • I do wish there were more courses specifically geared to study of each book of Scripture (I see

this is starting in the fall). • Keep the core curriculum. • Continue the spiritual growth concept through both years. Add a cultural awareness as a seminary

requirement course. • Keep the cohort; expand the offerings for 2nd & 3rd years. • Begin the grading on the weekly essays earlier, i.e., the first or second semester (not wait until

The Modern Era class) to assess grammar and content. • Do something for spouses, even if it was just a get acquainted event. Keep MA students informed

of course offerings in case they want to take future electives.

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• Keep doing what you are doing. Make the students continue to rise to the level of excellence you have set. Don’t “lower the bar” to accommodate them. Continue to cause God to stretch students. In the long run they will be grateful.

• The cohort—keep the same. Master of Divinity—without Greek. • Great opportunity for “field work.” God hung up on some discussions.

3. Which courses do you think were especially valuable?

• Evangelism, 511, 514—particularly of core. • CHT 511-514; G.K. Chestertin [sic] and John Henry Newman classes were great!! • Core curriculum, Field Education. • The core was great! Biblical Integration, Church Leadership, Evangelism, Preaching, Church

Growth, Field Ed courses & really I think all the courses I took were valuable, well prepared, and helpful.

• Worship, Pastoral Formation, Spiritual Formation. • Core. • Church History & Ethics. • Spiritual Formation. • Cohort, Field Ed, Pastoral Care. • ALL of them. For me, for personal reasons, the Medieval & Patristic class was an eye opener. • I loved Minor Prophets for its content and small group interaction. Every single course I took was

invaluable and well taught. • All off them I took; Core, Evangelism & Discipleship, Leadership Development, Church

Administration, Spiritual Formation, Field Ed, Faith-Sharing Groups. • The cohort & Spiritual Formation. • Field Education was excellent. I learned a great deal about the pastoral ministry and spiritual care

of the flock. The small group discussions were excellent and the visiting lecturers gave us much to think about.

• I found the small group case study work extremely effective for getting “hands-on” input to what dilemmas may arise in ministry.

4. What content needed more emphasis?

• Use of theology in personal formation, the Soul Harvest & Foster had a discipline focus, the specific focus on the theology to life change in faith group would allow of relational formation in a context of God through the ages, in addition to 21st century, also help social networking.

• I thought everything was good. • More time for preaching classes. • Biblical studies/OT/NT survey perhaps. • Christian Education; Educational Ministries. • I don’t know?? • Real life situations students are presently involved in and community solutions for them. • There could be more “visuals,” especially in the Medieval & Reformation classes. • Pastoral Care really needed about 10 weeks to cover everything. • Worship.

5. Is there any thing else that you would like to add?

• Keep up the good work!! • No. • I would have enjoyed learning more from each person about their personal experiences in their

churches. • Keep up the good quality program.

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• The Baccalaureate & Commencement information had errors and too many discrepancies. NES should have a completely separate commencement information and packet; and more checks and balances on errors, i.e., “commencement will be held Sat. May 6.”

• I hope that the MA degree will soon have other specialty areas and not be just a research focus. (Music, administration, Christian Education, etc.)

• Every aspect of my experience at Northeastern was positive. I’m not saying that it was easy. I was stretched way beyond my comfort zone! But it was the stretching that produced a quality of fruit in me that is and will be life giving and life sustaining to others. What I have been given, I will freely give. Thank you all for your impartation of knowledge, love, encouragement, and grace. You have made a difference in my life that will make a difference in the lives of others. God Bless You All Abundantly!

• I thank God for NES and all the super professors. • I’m just grateful to the seminary for what I’ve been given, what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown

these past three years.

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APPENDIX T

PERMISSION LETTER

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What Can I Expect? (continued) • A regular opportunity to give

and receive the hospitality of listening

• A confidential, caring environment in which to experience personal and spiritual growth

What Should I Not Expect?

Because the focus of Faith Sharing is inward rather than outward, Faith Sharing Groups are distinctly different from many other valuable kinds of small groups. For example, Faith Sharing is Not: • A Bible study group • A support group • Group therapy, counseling, or

problem solving • Discussion, conversation, or

responding to others during the Faith Sharing discipline

What are some of the Theological and Practical Assumptions that Undergird Faith Sharing?

Here are a few of the affirmations upon which Faith Sharing is based:

• God desires to be in intimate relationship with human beings.

• The basis for Christian life and ministry is the lived experience of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

• There are spiritual practices which help us notice and respond to God’s overtures for relationship with us.

• Healthy spiritual formation does not automatically occur in the context of a seminary education.

• Healthy spiritual formation best occurs in the context of Christian community.

Northeastern Seminary

at Roberts Wesleyan College 2265 Westside Drive

Rochester, New York 14624-1997 (716) 594-6800; www.nes.edu

[email protected]

An Introduction to

Faith Sharing Groups

at


What is Faith Sharing?

Faith Sharing is a process in which people share how they understand God to be active in their lives, as well as how they respond to God in ordinary experience. Faith Sharing groups are designed to create a sacred space through shared reflection on the action of God in the life experience of group members.

What is the Purpose of Faith Sharing at NES?

In the context of NES, Faith Sharing groups have a twofold purpose: • Faith Sharing groups seek to

provide a formative arena for each seminarian to experience and reflect on the activity of God in one's life during the years of the seminary journey.

• Faith Sharing groups hope to kindle an appreciation for a lifelong ministry of listening and spiritual direction as one of the definitive features of the pastoral calling.

How does Faith Sharing Relate to the NES Curriculum?

Faith Sharing is one facet of PSF 511-514 Introduction to Personal and Spiritual Formation, a course that is interwoven throughout the period of the NES Core curriculum. PSF 511-514 is designed to provide a theological, historical, and practical introduction to the resources and disciplines of formative Christianity. In addition to being part of a Faith Sharing group, seminarians take part in chapel programs, seminary retreats, an individual formative assessment process, and enjoy rich exposure to classical materials on the spiritual life that are integrated with regular class assignments.

When do Faith Sharing Groups Meet?

Faith Sharing groups meet every other week for an hour and a half during the duration of the NES core curriculum (BHT 511-514). Some groups meet from 4:00 until 5:30 p.m. on the night of class. Others meet at another time during the week.

Who Leads NES Faith Sharing Groups?

A trained Faith Sharing Facilitator directs each Faith Sharing Group at NES. The role of the facilitator is to guide the process, rather than to control the people. The facilitator listens to the mystery of another’s life, seeks to recognize how God is present and to 'stay with' the person who is sharing. When another is sharing, other group members offer the hospitality of attentive listening.

What Can I Expect from a Faith Sharing Group?

Though there are many benefits of the discipline of Faith Sharing, here are a few items you should look forward to: • A regular opportunity to notice

your inner life, with a special focus on your relationship with God

• A growing understanding of what God is doing in your ordinary daily life

APPENDIX B

PSF 511-514 – INTRODUCTION TO PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION


(2 Credits Total)

Chart displaying the component parts of the PSF 511-514 curriculum integrated across the first year Core curriculum

Com

e, T

aste

and

See

: Rhy

thm

s of

Gra

ce fo

r a

Life

of M

inis

try

All-

Sem

inar

y R

etre

at

Fo

rmat

ive

Ass

essm

ent E

veni

ng

BHT 511 (9 Credits)

♦ Integrated

Readings

♦ Seminary Worship

♦ Spiritual

Disciplines

G

roup

Inte

rpre

tive

Sess

ion

Pers

onal

Inte

rpre

tive

Sess

ion

(Stu

dent

and

Inte

rpre

ter)

BHT 512 (9 Credits)

Integrated Readings

Seminary Worship

Spiritual Disciplines

IGP Meeting with Faculty Mentor

BHT 513 (9 Credits)

Integrated Readings

Seminary Worship



BHT 514 (9 Credits)

Integrated Readings

Seminary Worship



IGP Final Meeting

for Core Curriculum

Faith-Sharing Groups

Ministry Involvement

Intentional Growth Plan (IGP)

APPENDIX C

PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION M. DIV. CURRICULUM DESIGN Northeastern Seminary

Component Description: YEAR ONE YEAR TWO YEAR THREE

Spiritual Formation/ Community Building

• Retreats • Seminary Chapel

(monthly) • PSF Classroom

components (weekly)

• Retreats • Seminary Chapel

(monthly)

• Retreats • Internship Seminar

Groups • Ministry as Theological

Reflection • Spiritual Readings

Curricular • Integrated Readings • Spiritual Disciplines

(Foster, Thompson, & Brueggemann)

• PSF 611 Pastoral Formation

• PSF 612 Spiritual Formation

• MIN 731, 732, 733, 734 Supervised Ministry Internships

Personal Growth/

Faith Development

• Formative Assessment & Interpretive Sessions

• Intentional Growth Plan • Faith-Sharing Groups

• Intentional Growth Plan • Spiritual Direction • Debriefing year one • Training in Pastoral

Spiritual Direction & Facilitation

• Experience as directee

• Profiles of Ministry, Stage II & Interpretive Session

• Intentional Growth Plan • Faith-Sharing Group

Facilitation • Group Sessions for

facilitators

Ministry Involvement

• Informal expectation that all will be involved in a local church ministry



• Faith-Sharing Group Facilitation

APPENDIX F

PSF PROGRAM ASSUMPTIONS

APPENDIX R

Spiritual Life Personal Interview Sign-Up Sheet

The following dates and times are for personal telephone interviews, in which someone will be calling you to conduct a semi-structured open-ended interview regarding your spiritual life. The interview will take between 20 and 30 minutes of your time. You may be either at home or your location of business—preferably a time when distractions are minimal. PLEASE mark this date and time on your calendar. If these suggested times are not conducive to your schedule, please indicate a more appropriate date and imte on the reverse side of this sheet. Please give your name, phone number, current juncture in program (Cohort/Yr. 2/Yr. 3/Grad), and most importantly, the correct telephone number of where you will be for said time and date of your interview. THANK YOU VERY much for your time, energy, and patience.

Date/Time

Name

Phone # Cohort/Year 2/Year 3/

Graduate

[day] [time][date]

APPENDIX S

CORRELATIONS OF DEPENDENT VARIABLES

Documents

ABSTRACT MEASURING THE PERSONAL IMPACT OF A SEMINARY'S SPIRITUAL FORMATION